Email Etiquette (or Netiquette)
Netiquette refers to the generally accepted rules of behavior for using the Internet. Netiquette rules apply chiefly to electronic mail, mailing lists and newsgroups. By following netiquette guidelines, users help to make the Internet a civil place to communicate and share ideas. The following are some widely accepted netiquette guidelines for email.
Contents
Be clear and concise. A paragraph can be written that contains no errors in grammar or spelling, but makes little sense. Express yourself in a logical, concise, and direct manner.
Be pleasant and polite. Don't use offensive language, and don't be confrontational. Email should be written in a manner that the sender would feel comfortable telling the recipient in person.
Include the topic of your message in the subject area. Many people have very full inboxes and make the decision about which messages to read and answer based on who sent the message and what the subject is. The subject area can also be indispensable when a recipient is searching folders for a filed message.
Quote the text from the incoming message in a reply. Days or weeks can pass between the time a message is sent and a reply received. During that time, people can easily forget what the original message was about. The convention is to place a ">" symbol or two in front of the question or comment in order to indicate that this is the issue that you're addressing.
Never create or forward "chain-letter" email. Forwarding a chain letter has an impact on system resources and can result in reprimand. It is permissible, however, to send copies of interesting messages or postings to others--but never chain-letters.
Verify the recipients before mailing the message. Before sending a message, read it over, and double-check the recipient(s).
Minimize the appearance of long distribution lists. To minimize the appearance of long distribution lists, send your intended email message to yourself (To: yourname@yourcompany.com) and blind courtesy copy (BCC: recipientsname@theircompany.com) all other recipients of your email message. Each recipient of your email message will see only his or her name at the top of the email message.
Style
Use normal text case. Use normal upper and lower case letters. Avoid using all capital letters in a message; this is known as SHOUTING and is generally frowned upon.
Don't assume that your intentions will be understood. Remember there isn't body language or facial expression to convey your intentions. Since there are no visual or auditory cues with email, users have come up with something called "smilies". They are simple strings of characters that are interspersed in the email text to convey the writer's emotions (cues).
Smilie Examples
:-) Smiley face ;-) Wink (light sarcasm) :-| Indifference :-> Devilish grin (heavy sarcasm)
8-) Eye-glasses : E Walrus :-D Happiness :-/ Perplexed :-( Frown (anger or displeasure)
:-P Wry smile :-e Disappointment :-@ Scream >:3 Lion Get in the car (g'.')g put 'em up
(>'.')> Kirby :-S Incoherent *:o) CLOWN @(^_^)@ Princess Leia
These smilie expressions are typically found at the end of sentences and will usually refer back to the prior statement. Use these expressions sparingly. There are hundreds of these things and their translations are by no means universal.
One of the many beauties of email is that it is a fast and relatively informal way to communicate. Oftentimes, email messages are dashed off while on the phone, between errands or meetings, or as a quick "hello." As a result, an email "code" in the form of acronyms has emerged. Following is a list of some common email acronyms to help you decipher the next email you receive and to provide you with a fun, fast way to get your point across. But be aware-rushed messages can lead to misplaced informality and bad grammar.
Acronym Translation
BTW By the way
FAQ Frequently asked questions
FYI For your information
IMHO In my humble opinion
TTFN Ta ta for now
623P Shoryuken
TTYL Talk to you later
GL HF Good luck, have fun
GG HF Ooooooooooooh
Don't send insulting email. Avoid "flaming" (inflammatory or antagonistic criticism), or sending insulting, abusive or threatening remarks. A "flame war" is the back-and-forth volley of insulting email and is considered a waste of network resources.
Avoid "spamming". Spamming, which is the practice of sending unsolicited commercial email messages in bulk, making similar postings to newsgroups or purposely overloading someone's mailbox or server with messages should not be practiced.
Privacy
Remember that email is not necessarily private. Your message can be forwarded to many people without your knowledge.
