E-mail: Be Less Annoying, Part II
In yesterday's blog, I ranted about e-mail annoyances. Here are more e-mail behaviors that drive me wild.
* Use a sig line. Make life easier for recipients -- use a signature line with your name and email address using the hot-linked mailto:steve_bass@pcworld.com format. It's easier for me to reply just to you if your e-mail was sent to many people; it's also great for when I forward your e-mail -- the new recipient doesn't have to cut and paste your address from the From line.
* Use your real name. I know you have one, but love your beerbelly49832@aol.com e-mail address. The problem is I haven't a clue who you are, so add your real name in the signature line. And a favor? Don't use initials. "S. Bass" forces me to write back to "Mr. Bass."
* The subject is... Tell me, explicitly and quickly, what your message is about in the "Subject" line. I delete all messages with vague subjects -- Hi, Hello, or worse, an empty subject line. And make sure you don't trigger my spam filter by using all capital letters, exclamation points, and words you typically see in spam.
* Attachment don'ts. Don't attach anything executable. Period. If on the off chance I've asked you to send a program, stick it into a Zipped file.
* Exec summary. Give me a one or a two sentence overview at the start of your e-mail. "I have a complicated issue," you might start out, "with a Dell, memory cards, and SP2. If you have time to help, I've provided details below.'
* By the numbers. If you have more than one question or point, number them. It makes replying a whole lot easier as I can refer to the numbers.
Now it's your turn. What's the e-mail advice you'd like everyone to see?
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To the point. Be clear, concise, and straightforward. If you cannot pull of academic English, please don't try.
Thank you for your views on e-mail etiquette. Here is a short list I use:
- Use the Subject Line to describe the message. Do not leave it blank. It helps the person receiving it, go back to the message at a later point in time.
- While sending large attachments with your message, consider alternatives, like links to common network drives.
- While requesting information, specify why you need the information, when you need it by, the consequences if you do not get it by the specified time. You could include the ‘Action needed by date’ as a part of the subject line to emphasize the time criticality.
- Send separate email messages for different issues/topics, even if it is to the same person or groups of people.
- While calling others for a meeting, use the ‘Appointment’ feature.
- Avoid replying to all. Send replies to the sender of the email or just the concerned person/group.
- Avoid the use of uppercase text as far as possible. It makes reading the message very difficult.
- Always read your message just before sending it out – makes sure it conveys your intent, correct typos (grammar/spell check).
but this only counts when your writing to someone you don't know!
These are some of the common annoying e-mail problems and tips to avoid it,
• Use to most common file formats when you attach them, by converting them. For example, what I am experiencing these days with some senders using Microsoft Office 2007 with their documents, which is not opening with the 2003 version.
• Attach your file before any thing, a lot of e-mails come to you without the attachments because the sender was rushing.
• When writing the e-mail, make it to the ========> POINT your aiming for.
"pull off" academic english and when "you're" writing
argh!
Bottom line is: as "we" move forward with our computer knowledge, we take
our skills for granted. Second nature.
Then we complain about those who haven't garnered those skills. We try to
help - only to become frustrated.
There are those (like your Mom and mine - in her 80's) who are connected,
but have no clue as to eliminating prior address lists/layers, etc.
For them (and many of *our* contemporaries), just forwarding an email (which
might be 3-6 layers deep...and could repopulate one's address book with
unknown persons - should one desire to do so) is an *accomplishment.*
A simple guide on how to remove all the "blue stuff" using
right-button/click-drag, etc. might be helpful.
Maybe someone will read it and try suggestions.
Here are 12 rules of etiquette from Microsoft.
http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/FX012055341033.aspx
Everyone has offered great suggestions here but it is the mindless numbskulls who generally do not read blogs like this one who violate common email etiquette the most. What can be done about this?
i ain't gonna leev my reel name on no blog nohow cause than evrywun in the wurld can clik on my blu name linck an SPAM me to deth. io'l jest use my name how i typo-spel it wrung. Thets gud enuf for strengers. and if u r so smart abowt grammer, dont bit** @ me, cose i can fold shirts qwiker then u!
I used to sign with my e-mail address but then read that spamers can troll the hard drive of the recipient and pick up my address so I cut off the address. Is that just folk lore?
Stop sending chain emails to me--no matter what the cause (little Timmy needs your old Christmas cards to live, canola oil is poison, tell someone you love them, whatever...). While I find them annoying in general, they are even worse when they are the only time you contact me. I'd rather be dropped from your little list. (Think a minute: Do I ever send you such drivel, or respond to it?)
The same for jokes. If that's the only time you email me, please don't bother.
"A simple quide on how to remove all the "blue stuff" would help me a bunch. That's my biggest headache.
- Always use the Subject line. I automatically delete any email without a Subject line.
- If you put an Email link in your message, make sure it is live and is 'clickable'.