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With the massive changes that the Internet has brought to many of our lives, it is
entirely unsurprising that it has brought another substantial change – that which it has
wrought on the English language – and most other languages too. New words have
been invented – and new uses found for old words – in order to describe things which
simply did not exist before the Internet came along and changed our world. A decade
ago, pretty much no-one “blogged”, absolutely no sane human being Tweeted, and the
word “netiquette” was unknown. Not only do we have to mind our Ps and Qs, we would be well advised
to keep an eye on our @s as well.
If we are required to contact a customer by e-mail, it is important to be aware that the usual standards
pertaining to e-mail do not apply. Many, if not most, people, have a different way of expressing
ourselves in e-mail than we would if we were writing a letter or speaking on the telephone. Perhaps
emboldened by the text messaging revolution, many people have taken the “txt spk” approach to
writing e-mails. Even though e-mail is not bound by the character limits that text messaging and Twitter
impose upon us, people will still try to squeeze a message into a few short lines and cut words down.
But when using e-mail in a business setting, it is essential to avoid this, as it is seen as being
unprofessional.
Email Etiquette: The Do’s and Don’ts of Email
DO use greetings and closings in most messages.
DO remember to check your spelling, grammar, and punctuation.
DO use the spelling checker.
DO place yourself in your reader’s position and ask yourself how you would feel if you received
the message you are planning to send.
DO remember that some people check their email only once a day. Don’t expect instant replies.
DON’T include private or confidential information in an email message.
DON’T label a message urgent unless it really is.
DON’T use all capital letters.
DON’T send a message when you are angry or upset.
DON’T forward a message unless you feel completely certain that the original sender will not
object to having other people see it.
DON’T say anything negative about another person in an email message.
DON’T use the “Reply to All” feature unless all the original recipients really need to see your
reply.