I am a huge fan of email etiquette, I spend so much of life in Outlook or on my BlackBerry that whenever I encounter random acts of email stupidity, I simply want to go postal. In a previous life, I would refer offenders to the company email etiquette policy I had written up. Now I either send them Merlin Mann’s Inbox Zero video (the whole video just to prove a point) or hold it on and take it out on their inbox in person when they finally cal up for some friendly tech support. I now have a new tool from my “web belt” that I will be sending out to repeat offenders.
The following is from Download Squad
Today’s post will focus on email etiquette, and how to be a good email neighbor.
It’s easy to feel frustrated with friends and co-workers when they make basic email mistakes like sending messages with no subject text, or referencing an attachment but not actually including one. But are we completely innocent of making email offenses ourselves? Have a look at the ones listed below; maybe you could be a better email neighbor.
Links without context
This is maybe one of the most common, and most egregious faux pas that can be committed online. It happens on instant messaging programs and frighteningly often on Twitter, but it also happens very often in email. Think about the last time you came across a website you really wanted a friend to see. When you emailed it to them, did you give any descriptive text so that they had a clue as to what they were about to see when clicking on your link, or did you simply give the a link and expect them to blindly follow it? This is tantamount to saying “close your eyes and open your mouth” – no thanks! If you really want people to follow your links, take a moment to explain what they are about to see – a sentence or two is enough.
Continue reading Email Etiquette – Emailers Anonymous
