25 Feb 2009 |
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As time went on that amount of time greatly decreased with faster modes of transportation being invented, until finally in the early 1900's we found ourselves using telephones. Almost overnight the system of choice for sending messages switched over from letters, to telephone. Still, though, important documents and signed legal notices were transported via the traditional postal method... that is until the fax machine was invented. Again, with such a huge shift made in our technology we also saw a shift in the way that we reacted to communication with each other. More people could be reached in an almost instant manor, and important documents could be faxed to the other side of the world with just a few moments of patience. Another shift would take place, though, in the 1990's, as a new form of electronic communication emerged - email. Within just a few years that new technology became an evident source of communication around the world, and if you aren't aware of the effects it can have on your web practices today, then the simple question of "Where have you been?" should be asked. Email is almost as important as your 'physical' web presence. If your website looks great, and your service is wonderful, but you don't provide any form of solid email interaction, you may be lost in the fast paced world we live in. If you are one of the unlucky people to have missed out on the benefits of effective email use, and the consequences of improper email use, then be unlucky no longer: you're about to get a crash course in how to efficiently use email to increase your good name on the web. 1. Always use a SignatureWhether you are using your personal email or your business email, you need to create a signature that proudly displays the various ways that people can keep in touch with you. So often I have gone back through my email to find the contact information of a person, only to realize that they never had a signature that displayed that information. It can be as simple as you want with plain text, or as elegant as you desire with HTML. Keep in mind though that some email clients will not be able to read the HTML and will interpret it as plain text anyway. An example of a signature that I see most often is as follows:
2. Use your email sparinglyIn my own experience there have been many times when I have received email addresses for very famous people, people who are extremely busy, and people who have 50,000 followers on Twitter. I have also emailed these people without having first gotten consent, and in return I have received rushed replies only a few words long with sharp feelings of irritation attached. Just because you have someones contact information, does not mean that you have a good reason to contact them. But for those people who have given their consent in some form for you to contact them, you should still use it sparingly. Some of the men and women that you want to contact via email have very busy lives and hardly have time to read the 'book' that you want to send them. Try to keep your part of the discussion down to five sentences or less. If you can't do that, then ask someone you know to help you edit it down. Besides, if you can learn to say more in fewer words, people will find you a more intelligent person to converse with. 3. Check your subjects for relevancyLately I have found that many of my subjects for email conversations are not actually relevant to the conversation. My mother, for example, likes to put the day of the week as the subject, so at the end of the month I have 4 or 5 "Monday" conversations but no idea what was discussed in each. If your subjects do not have any kind of connection to the discussion, then you need to refine that subject line. It helps you and your recipient keep on track with the topic. Another handy tool that you may enjoy using, which also follows tip #2, is to use EOM subjects. EOM stands for "End Of Message" and can come in very handy for those quick messages that you need to send to someone. Here is an example: Meeting time changed to 3 AM - EOM Since they will automatically see the EOM in the subject line and also the quick note, they do not need to take the time to open and load that message, plus it keeps your mind focused on the task, and not on the structure of the email. 4. Don't send email late at night.Recently I made the mistake of sending an email just before I fell asleep at around 1 in the morning. The email was poorly crafted and was offensive to the recipient. Had I saved that email until morning I would have noticed my improper grammar and inappropriate word choice, and the embarrassment would have been saved. Take my advice, if you're going to send an email while you are tired, be sure to re-read it a few times and make sure it doesn't sound too harsh. If you can't tell whether it sounds good or not, save the draft, turn off the computer, and get some sleep. The email can wait till morning. What else can you add to this list?Obviously, there is much more to be considered when finding the best netiquette to follow with email. What have you had experience with that will help others develop a healthy relationship with others via email? We want to know in the comments! Comments (1)
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The world moves faster today than it ever has before. In the past, postal mail (also known as snail-mail) was used to send messages to a distant relative, a business partner, or an old friend. Anywhere between several days and several weeks would pass by before the notice ever made it to the addressed person.
