Email Etiquette Dont's - What You Absolutely Should Not Be Doing

Do Not:

TYPING IN ALL CAPS IS JUST LIKE SHOUTING WHEN YOU SEND AN EMAIL MESSAGE.

Not only is this format very hard to read, it’s considered very poor email etiquette. Make sure you use proper capitalization and make sure your Caps Lock is off!

Spam Friends Or Colleagues

Most of us lead very busy lives and we have limited time to read emails.

Well, we all know of some exceptions…

Sending a list of cute photos, inspirational poem or funny joke is usually appreciated once in a while. However, you should really limit sending these on company time. Most employers frown upon employees who clog the network with these non-work related messages.

Even your friends will quickly grow tired of reading your 100th email containing “cute photos and sayings” this week!

While we are on this topic, make it a resolution to delete those pesky email chain letters as soon as you receive them.

The little girl who is waiting for your donation to receive a new heart or the large cheque that Bill Gates is going to send you once your forward his email message 1000 more times will just have to wait for the next poor sucker.

Do your part and hit the “delete” button as quickly as possible!

Send A Message Without Spellchecking It First

Because of the informal nature of email, many people tend to forget about spelling, punctuation and grammar.

Although email can be more informal, you may still be judged by the number of mistakes in your messages.

Friends may be more forgiving than colleagues or bosses. However, you should still get in the habit of using the spell check feature before you send any message.

Yu don’t wantt too sendd a mezzag thaat kontanes vary por speling becuz it maks yew luk badd.

If you use Outlook Express, choose the option that will spell check all of your messages automatically before they’re sent. This way, you won’t forget to do a quick check before you send that important business proposal to all of the management.

Include Really Detailed Text That Can Be Sent As Attachments

If you have to include detailed text or information, try sending it as an attachment. Otherwise, your recipients may not even bother to read all the information.

Include a concise message that explains the reason for the email. Then include the detailed information in a Word document or Excel spreadsheet.

Just be sure to keep the size of the attachments very small since many email programs won’t be able to send or receive large files. Also stick to the more common attachments or else your reader’s anti-virus program may block the file altogether.

Use A Formal Tone For Business Emails

Email messages can be informal. This is okay when you’re dealing with your friends or family. However, make sure you use the tone and grammar when you’re sending business emails. You need to be more formal when you send messages to another colleague, client or employee.

Save the “Hey, whaddya wanna do l8r 2nite?” messages for your friend, not your boss!

Don’t be afraid of using email to communicate. This form of communication is quick, easy and inexpensive. You just need to know how to use it properly.

Follow all of our do’s and don’ts and you’ll quickly become an email expert!

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