It’s all too easy to dash off a sloppy
or offensive e-mail. Judith Kallos, author of Because
Netiquette Matters! (www.netmanners.com), offers some advice on
e-communication.
Assume formality. Never put anything in an
e-mail that you wouldn’t write on company letterhead. Default to
the highest level of courtesy (“Dear Dr. Doolittle”) until
instructed otherwise.
Consider size. Gigantic attachments can do more
than cause headaches for server administrators; they can mean
losing business when in-boxes overflow and e-mails bounce. Learn
how to compress large files down to a polite size.
Don’t rush it. Proofreading and spell-checking
are absolute musts. Additionally, edit out unnecessary parts of the
conversation that might be lingering in a chain of replies.
Sign off gracefully. Niceties count. Always end
e-mails with “Thank you” or “Sincerely...” And keep signature tags
down to five lines or fewer, lest your e-mails smack of
egocentrism.