one of the best article on "workplace email etiquette" i have come across.
sachinof AL7:45AM April 03, 2013
Another big mistake that could happen is that when you are drafting an email and you want to refer to another person but are unsure on how to spell their name, you enter their name in the 'to' or 'cc' field to refer to but then you forget to remove them before you send the mail meaning anything mentioned about them in your mail, will go straight to them as well! - Easy to do if you are in a rush. Someone once told me very early on in my career to think of every email is like a letter being written on company headed notepaper and sent. If you wouldn't write it on company headed paper, then don't write it on an email.
Greg9:53AM December 14, 2012
I'm not sure if it is professional to omit the signature. I understand what you mean above but I usually train my folks to make sure that they never omit the signature because these are business emails :)
Vanessaof NC7:37AM July 05, 2012
I always try to say 'hi' in the greeting and ideally with the person's name. When people don't do that, it seems really impersonal, even if that isn't their real intention.
If I've been feeling angry, either at the person to whom I'm sending one, or just having a bad workday, I've sometimes just jotted one off without giving it enough thought. There are a few I wished I had just waited on ... once it's gone, it's gone.
Thanks for the article, lots of good points
Tim Bof WA6:16PM May 14, 2011
Can anyone tell what is the dis advantage in using BCC. I am not able to get this point. How will the recipient come to know that it is an BCC?
Sabariof TN7:00AM May 04, 2011
Even unintentional misspellings can make anyone look stupid. I once received an e-mail where the sender misspelled his own name (signed Rat instead of Ray). Of course, spellcheck would not have caught that one . . . .
Jeanof NC3:25PM January 27, 2011
Typing the name of a recipient and not checking that you pulled the correct one out of your address book? I got in big trouble sending a note to my hubby once to another David in my address book...
Nanouof MD7:07AM January 26, 2011
I've been guilty of too many of these. But one of them I often violate intentionally--number 10. The e-mail format with its "To, Cc, Bcc, Subject and Attachments" is like that of a memorandum. Since it's not customary to say "Hi" or "Dear" at the beginning of a memo, I don't normally use such greetings when writing to people I correspond with regularly--often briefly and multiple times during the course of the day. However, I do still use a closing such as "Thanks" because somehow it would feel uncomfortable to stop doing that. Many of the people I work with seem to follow the same policy, including the trade association vice president who forwarded this article to me.
Terry Whiteof VA11:39AM January 21, 2011
Avoid long paragraphs - poeple do not have time to read all that fluff and will skip the majority of it. Use concise sentences with only basically a thought per paragraph. We use a rule of thumb of not more than three short sentences per paragraph (when possible).
RJof TX6:22AM January 21, 2011
Spell check is automatic in a lot of email programs so don't ignore using it - even if it saves you 5 seconds of "send" time.
Also, never email your content in all capital letters.
I somewhat disagree with number 7 as I am always forgetting people's contact information. Lots of times its too much effort to include everyone in your contact lists and I just rely on a previous email to get their contact information.
Great article though, these tips are key to good, proper email communication.
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sachin of AL 7:45AM April 03, 2013
Greg 9:53AM December 14, 2012
Vanessa of NC 7:37AM July 05, 2012
Tim B of WA 6:16PM May 14, 2011
Sabari of TN 7:00AM May 04, 2011
Jean of NC 3:25PM January 27, 2011
Nanou of MD 7:07AM January 26, 2011
Terry White of VA 11:39AM January 21, 2011
RJ of TX 6:22AM January 21, 2011
d. wilson of MA 3:32PM January 20, 2011