E Mail 101 The Dos And Don Ts

E-mail 101: The Dos And Don’ts

Copyright © Shaun R. Fawcett

You would be amazed at some of the pure gibberish that arrives in my e-mailbox on a regular basis.

I first published a version of this article three years ago, but based on what comes into my e-mailbox every day, many people need a refresher on the basics of composing e-mails.

When sending e-mail, some folks seem to think that because they aren’t dealing directly with another person (or as directly as they would be face-to-face or by telephone), all forms of civility and basic respect for the other person (i.e. the recipient), and the English language, can go out the proverbial window.

Not true! Writing e-mails is still communicating. Both the recipient and the language still deserve your respect.

The following list of e-mail Dos and Don’ts has been adapted from a chapter in my eBook titled Instant Home Writing Kit.

DO… Use A Descriptive Subject Line
There is nothing more annoying than receiving e-mails in your e-Inbox with no heading, or a heading that does not explain what the contents of the message is about.

When one receives multiple messages every day, the subject-line is important when reviewing and prioritizing e-mail that is in one’s mailbox. Also, if you include a descriptive title, your message is almost guaranteed to be read before the ones with blank or meaningless titles.

Tip: I even revise the Subject Line when I am sending a Reply; to clearly reflect the essence of my response. This is especially useful if it’s one of those e-mails that travels back and forth 3 or 4 times. Often, there is little relationship between the point of the first message and the later ones. So, try revising the Subject Line slightly each time to reflect the content of the current reply.

DO… Use Opening And Closing Salutations
Some people have forgotten that e-mail is interpersonal communication between human beings. Basic civility still applies.

There is nothing much more impersonal than receiving an e-mail that doesn’t at least say “Hello…” or “Hi…” for the opening; and “Regards…” or “Thanks…” or “Take care…” or “All the best…”, or something similar as the closing. We can’t personally sign the note by hand anymore, but we can surely personalize it a little bit by at least typing in the recipient’s name and then wishing them the best.

DO… Use Capital Letters Sparingly
The use of all-caps is shunned on the Internet. It’s called SHOUTING. Every once in a while a word or two in capitals for particular emphasis is ok, but avoid overdoing it.

Tip: Cutesy little smiles and similar symbols, known as emoticons, should also be used sparingly. I advise you not to use these symbols at all in business e-mails, unless the recipient is a friend or well-known to you. Just as with business letters, the principle underlying business e-mails is: clear and concise businesslike communication with a minimum of clutter. ‘-)

DO… Check Spelling, Grammar, and Format
Make a point to ensure that your e-mail is relatively readable. It doesn’t have to be a work of art, but at least respect the basic rules of spelling and grammar. Most e-mail programs have a spell-checker option. Use it.

Tip: For better readability, break your e-mail into short 1,2, or 3 sentence paragraphs with a blank line between paragraphs. (i.e. double hard-return).

DO… Watch Out For “E-mail Rage”
Many an e-mail has been composed and sent when a person was in an angry or upset state (referred to as “flaming”). Many people have lived to regret these indiscretions in the cold sober light of the next hour, or the next day. Remember, whenever the Send button has been clicked, your e-mail is gone.

Tip: When you compose an e-mail while in an “upset state”, it is always a good idea to save it as a draft for an hour or two and then read it over carefully at least once before sending it, just to make sure you are communicating what you really want to, in a clear and respectful way.

DON’T… Forward Junk Mail To Others
From time to time, people to whom we have given our e-mail address will have momentary lapses in judgment (yes, even friends and family) and will forward “junk mail” to you.

These are often long rambling stories, urban myths, scraps of wisdom, chain letters, collections of jokes, or other such items that are prevalent around the Net.
This is the equivalent of opening your regular mail box at home and finding it loaded with unsolicited and unwanted promotional letters and advertising flyers. Would you forward those to your friends or family? Do you? I didn’t think so.

When you receive one of these in your e-Inbox, DO NOT forward it on to someone else. Kill it then and there. This kind of unsolicited junk mail is known as “spam”, and is definitely not acceptable on the Net. If a friend or acquaintance sends one to you, politely e-mail them back asking if they would please be kind enough to remove your name from their distribution list for that type of item. Explain that you are already inundated with this “type” of unsolicited e-mail. Usually, they will take the hint and accommodate you.

DON’T… Think That E-Mail Is Instantaneous
Believe it or not, e-mail is not as reliable as a telephone call when it comes to timely communication!

The Internet is a loosely connected network of computers and telecommunications equipment owned, operated, and managed by many independent companies, institutions, and government organizations.

Your e-mail must often travel a complex and circuitous route to get to its destination. For example, if someone schedules maintenance on a computer or a piece of equipment on the network that your e-mail must pass through, your message may be delayed and you won’t even know it.

Also, who is to guarantee that the intended recipient even checks their e-mail regularly? Many people only check their e-mail every few days. So, if your communication is urgent, use the standard telephone. It is still the only way to be absolutely sure that a message has been received at a particular point in time.

DON’T… Forget To Check Your E-mail Regularly
There is nothing more frustrating than sending an e-mail to someone and then having them tell you on the telephone a week later that they haven’t seen your message because the last time they checked their e-mail was a week ago!

If you want people to take your e-mails seriously, make sure that you take theirs seriously too. So, check your e-mail regularly; at least every day or two.

The bottom line to all of this is simple. Remember that e-mail is just another form of interpersonal communication. People deserve the same amount of respect and civility as you would give them in a telephone call or a regular letter.

BONUS : Easy Article Writing Tips

Whether you are just starting out with your online business or you are seasoned pro, writing and distributing articles is one of the most effective and low-cost ways to drive lots of targeted traffic to your site. Writing articles and submitting them to the article directories will get you free traffic when people click on the link in your resource box. It is also a great way to improve search engine rankings, since you will have plenty of incoming links to your site. Let’s take a look at how you can get started writing articles. Here are a few tips to get you started.

Write a Top Ten List

An easy way to get started with an article is to come up with a Top Ten List. Find a topic related to your business and jot down ten reasons why someone should purchase your product or offer advice on a topic that’s related to your website. Examples would be top ten ways to get your baby to sleep through the night, top ten reasons to write articles, or top ten reasons to buy car insurance. Once you have your list of ten items, write a little paragraph about each, explaining the reason in a little more detail.

Next you add an introductory paragraph that pulls the reader into your list. For example an introduction to the baby sleeping through the night article could mention how hard it is to make it through the day and how sleep deprived you are until you get your baby to sleep through the night. Then close your article either by summing up what you just told them in your top ten lists or encouraging them to act on what you just told them about.

Congratulations, you just wrote an article. Of course you can easily shorten this to a top 5 list. Just write a little more about each of your points.

Record Your Article

Some people prefer recording themselves while they are talking about a particular topic and then transcribing and editing it into an article. If you have an easier time talking about a particular topic than writing about it, this may be a great option for you. Most MP3 players now come with a record option, or you can pick up a cheap tape-recorder. Pick a topic and just start talking as if you were explaining it to a friend. Just start babbling and the ideas will start to flow. Now listen to your tape. Write down and arrange the major points you mad in order. Add an intro and a closing and you have another article.

Hire a Ghost Writer

If you are having a hard time writing articles, or just don’t have the time to do it, you can still benefit from article marketing by hiring a ghostwriter. Ghost Writers will write unique articles for you that become your intellectual property. You can post them as your own work to your site, your blog, as well as the article directories. You can find a ghost writer on sites like elance. There are also some freelance writers with their own websites out there. You can usually buy articles anywhere from $5 – $65.

Write an Outline and Have Someone Else Turn it into an Article

Another option if you don’t want to do all the writing yourself is for you to write a basic outline of the article and the point you want to bring across. Jot down any ideas you have for the article, then ask a friend or hire someone to flesh it out for you into an article. You may be more comfortable with passing these articles off as your own, since the content of the article was your original idea. Someone else just put it into an article format for you.

There is no reason for you not to get started with article marketing one way or the other. Get a few articles out there and then sit back and watch the traffic come in. You’ll be so impressed by the results you can get even from a handful of article, you’ll be writing them and submitting them all the time.