"Netiquette" is network etiquette, what you should and should
not do when you are online. Netiquette covers both common courtesy
online and the informal "rules of the road" of cyberspace.
Some Netiquette Email Tips
Treat Others the Way You Would Want to be Treated
The person you are emailing is a human being just like you.
Whatever you say, make sure it is what you would say face to
face.
Use Descriptive Message Subjects
The Subject field should be just that. Make it clear and
descriptive so the recipient will know exactly what the message is
about.
Writing your Message
Make your message clear, concise and as brief as possible.
Email messages are not substitutes for long documents, letters or
reports. Make them attachments to your email.
Read and Re-read your Message Before You
Send It
Give the message a short rest and then read it over to make
sure that it is clear and you said what you want to say. Once you
hit the “Send” button you most likely will not be able to retrieve
it. If you don’t need an electronic paper trail, ask yourself if a
phone call may be the better way to relay your message.
Reply Properly
When replying to a message copy the portion of the email to
which you are responding and put it in the reply message. Then type
your response below the copied portion. You will let the person
know that you are replying to that particular portion of his/her
email.
You are not expected to send a reply back just to say “Thank
You”. Also, there is no need to reply with “OK” as your message. It
just adds more emails to another’s mailbox.
Forwarding Messages
When forwarding a message make sure that you delete the
email addresses of persons who previously received the email. You
may want to copy and paste the original message into a new message
if there is a trail of people who have received the email you are
forwarding. If the persons who have previously received the email
is integral to the message, do not delete their email
addresses.
Plain Text, HTML or Rich Text Format
When in doubt, use plain text. In MS Outlook, go to Tools,
Options, Mail Format and choose plain text. Some colleagues outside
of the university may have email programs that are not capable of
reading HTML or Rich Text Format. Remember the message is what is
important, not how you format it.
Using All Caps in your Email
Messages
Use All Caps sparingly. It is similar to shouting.
Ask Before You Send Large File
Attachments
Some email programs are not capable of sending or receiving
large attachments. Call before you attach a large file. Also,
saving emails with attachments uses up much needed storage space
and you may exceed your limit. Delete emails with file attachments
after you save the attachment to your network drive, hard disk or
another storage option.
Email Recipients (To, Cc, Bcc)
When you use Cc (Carbon copy) and Bcc (Blind carbon copy)
indicate in the body of the message to whom you are sending the
email, e.g. Stan, so those who are copied will know that they are
getting it for informational purposes only. Remember that anyone
can forward your email. Nothing in an email is confidential no
matter how much you tell the recipient(s) it is.
Sending Email to multiple Recipients
(Using the Bcc field)
When sending email to multiple recipients, use the Bcc
field. When you use this field to enter email addresses each one
gets an individual email without seeing all the other recipients’
email addresses. There will be no long list of addresses before the
email message.
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