10 Rules of E-mail Etiquette

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I think 'acknowledge' should be included in this list. We have a lot of college hires that do not respond when you email them. A simple 'thank you' would suffice.

Darlene of CT 4:03PM May 13, 2013

I think these are great tips and ones that we should teach our children to implement, too. I particularly like the tip on "beware of rushed messages." It reminds me of the age old advice - think before you speak. It's common sense, but so easy to forget.

Krista Fehler of AL 8:02PM October 30, 2012

I think these are great tips and ones that we should teach our children to implement, too. I particularly like the tip on "beware of rushed messages." It reminds me of the age old advice - think before you speak. It's common sense, but so easy to forget.

Krista Fehler of AL 7:59PM October 30, 2012

Great advice. I wish all would follow these simple rules.

Sal Rodas of AL 6:42PM October 26, 2012

Very useful when addressing the tones of e-mailing, especially when providing a counter-argument to someone's opinion. Most people do not realize that saying something in an e-mail is not the same as saying it in person, and often gain negative outcomes from it. Here's another useful article for e-mailing your network: http://blog.brand-yourself.com/personal-branding/personal-brand-image-email-networking-etiquette/

Jonathan E. Nieves of NY 6:05PM June 09, 2010

Great article Michael. With the growing of social media and the web. And with email being so much involved in daily life. What becomes more important, phone etiquette or email etiquette?
Ozzie Saunds
www.WriteMyResumeNow.com

Ozzie Saunds of NY 12:58PM June 09, 2010

With all this E-mailing back and forth -- people tend to forget that there are things which are UNPROVABLE! -- and I am not being paranoid! Step back and think about this!
1: Though you could possibly prove which computer issued
issued the E-mail -- supposedly if there is enough memory in its (the computer's) "memory-bank," That being said -- you could never prove (in court) whose fingers were on those keys which actually typed that specific information at that particular time!
2: As such -- the "named" writer has no liability -- as the actual true writer's identity remains unknown! --- R. M. Frank, J.D.

Robert Frank, J.D. of CA 1:48PM June 07, 2010

With all this E-mailing back and forth -- people tend to forget that there are things which are UNPROVABLE! -- and I am not being paranoid! Step back and think about this!
1: Though you could possibly prove which computer issued
issued the E-mail -- supposedly if there is enough memory in its (the computer's) "memory-bank," That being said -- you could never prove (in court) whose fingers were on those keys which actually typed that specific information at that particular time!
2: As such -- the "named" writer has no liability -- as the actual true writer's identity remains unknown! --- R. M. Frank, J.D.

Robert Frank, J.D. of CA 1:48PM June 07, 2010

While I agree with most all of this article, may I point out one missing reason why people tend to rely on emails for communication at work ?
I've been in the corporate world for over 20 years. It's called : cover your a**
I have been told by managers, supervisors, HR professionals, and so on that EVERYTHING should be documented in an email. Yes- I mean everything. Too many times the legal department had to get involved. You have a meeting, and everyone says something different. Nothing has been documented. It becomes 'He said, she said' all over the place. I've had many such incidents when co-workers attempted to throw me under the bus, yet I was able to produce an email showing what was really said, and done. And yes, this happens at all levels of management.
Yes, this is unfortunate. But anyone in the corporate world should understand this. Email has become a necessary curse in our lives. I agree with speaking with people, however at the end of the discussion, you should still follow up with a brief email discussing major points.

Ana of KS 12:33PM June 07, 2010