eCommunication Advice

[A Desert Rose]

I've looked all over and I can't find the thread I wanted to post this to. I had an idea it was started by one of 3 people so I searched their threads and found nothing like the one I was looking for.

Anyway, I was reading this today and thought it might be handy info. It does not just pertain to writing emails but I think it also is good advice to any kind of e-communicaton, such as posting on a bulletin board.

This comes from PCWorld:

E-mail: Be Less Annoying


I've come to the conclusion that everyone needs to take a test before being able to use e-mail. No, I'm serious.

You have to take an e-mail test. If you pass, you get an e-mail license. Proudly hang it on the wall. If you screw up -- break any of Bass's e-mail regs by, say, sending lots of message with blank subject lines -- and your license is pulled. You go on probation and attend mandatory remedial e-mail sessions.

You think I'm kidding, right? Don't test me, okay? Because I have a laundry list of ways people drive me wild with annoying e-mail behaviors. I wrote about a few in Get Relief From Annoying E-Mail, my Hassle-Free PC print column. But I have more (and God help you if you're one of the offenders). Dig in:

Stop Sending Annoying E-mail

The Hassle: One of my buddies came clean -- he said some of my e-mails are annoying. I've (finally) learned that I have to remove all the forwarding info, but imagine I'm committing other e-mail faux pas. You have any advice?

The Fix: Plenty (and don't send me e-mail until you read these, okay?).

* Don't Share. If you and your live in (spouse, lover, significant other, partner... whatever) use the same e-mail address, stop it. Extra e-mail addresses are free and consolidating e-mails into one mailbox is confusing the dickens out of me because I never know who I'm writing to.

* Save Time. Use [NM] or [EOM] (they stand for "No Message" or "End of Message") in the subject line as a shorthand way of answering e-mail that's simply a thank you or an acknowledgement. It helps reduce the number of e-mails that need to be opened; many of the people at PC World use the trick and it's increased everyone's productivity.

* Think short and use paragraphs. Obvious, right? Nope. I get e-mails with one long paragraph the length of the Gettysburg address. Break it up into three or four smaller ones. By the way, my limit is three or four paragraphs. After that I start dozing. [Editor's note: I noticed.] Send a test message to a buddy to make sure your e-mail program isn't removing paragraph returns.

I'll have more e-mail goofs for you tomorrow. In the meantime, lemme know if we're aligned on these annoyances. Or if I'm way off-base.



Comments

This is a handy reminder about better ways to communications using email. Thought you'd find it interesting.

unitypaloaltomarketing@yahoogroups.comJuly 05, 20062:22 PM PT

Thank you for a much needed article. Please expand your thoughts and write additional articles on the proper etiquette for mobile phone usage, instant messaging, and text messaging. I am beginning to think that everyone has either completely forgotten (or simply ignore) the rules of common civility, courtesy and professionalism.

Here are my pet peeves for email:

Spellcheck – Please use your spellchecking feature (or a good old paper dictionary) before sending the email

Grammar - …At least give it a try…please

Phone home – For conversations that require significant two-way dialog and do not require documenting, use a phone or IM. Do not send an email asking me to lunch in 30 minutes.

Kirk Killion July 05, 20062:46 PM PT

Other things that bother me:
1. Message starts in the subject and continues in the body.
2. Cutsey HTML (background image or color, etc.) especially when the result is unreadable.
3. Message that has been replied to several times without the garbage at the bottom (e.g. all that Yahoo group stuff) being removed.
4. Having your anti-virus add stuff at the end saying the message was screened. There is no way I am going to believe that, so it just wastes space.
5. Bloated signature blocks.

Jack Jackson July 05, 20062:52 PM PT

Much needed criticism. A couple more pet peeves: Stop using those fancy script fonts! They are near impssible to read. And please!!!!! No more purple, orange, green font colors. Its an email; not a work of art!

Mark Snyder July 05, 20064:10 PM PT

I must stop using lots of exclamation marks in my e-mails!!!!!!!

There, just got it out of my system.

Susan Le Gresley July 05, 200611:10 PM PT

Agreed. There should be a test and if you don't do what is correct e-mail should be set up so it won't send anything out until you do do it right.

Harry Hopkinson July 06, 20065:04 AM PT

People that tell you that they are taking a shit and sent a text message to tell you that.

Jennifer Hamilin July 09, 20064:52 PM PT

Sending an e-mail to an entire department, etc. because you are too lazy to find out who the specific one or two individuals are that should receive the e-mail. Don't expect the rest of us to filter it for you.

Crissy Stout July 20, 200611:58 AM PT

I hate having to open 6 to 12 attachments to get to the message, just because the person couldn't take the time to CLEAN it up before forwarding it on to me.

Bob Jamie July 20, 200612:34 PM PT

I hate receiving an email that is blank, except for a URL. Tell me what it is about or don't bother me with it.

Stephen Strode July 21, 20066:40 PM PT

http://blogs.pcworld.com/tipsandtweaks/archives/002369.html

More good tips:
http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,132839-page,1/article.html

 

[catalina_francisco]

LOL, reminds me of emails I get regularly from a cousin of mine. I adore her, but no longer open her sometimes 50+ a day emails (and this can be every day of the week, not once in a blue moon), instead delete them immediately. When I first moved here I would open her emails excitedly thinking it would be great to hear from her, hear the home/family gossip with her unique humour slant, only to find email after email was nothing more than a forwarded piece of poetry, humour, gossip etc., from someone else who had sent it to her after having it sent to them etc., etc. Now I delete without opening and try not to worry about the fact I might have deleted one in which she also said hello. Many of us have told her we don't get the time to read through what she sends (some can be pages long) and would much prefer an email just from her about what she is doing, but she continues to forward everything which comes her way.

Catalina

 

[SubKekiLee]

I know how you feel Catalina..

I have a very good friend who sends me alot of forwards and suddenly another friends of her starts sending me forwards and they are things my REAL friend was sending me I had been deleting them when I very nicely sent her an email telling her I was already getting the emails from our mutual friend and she got very UPSET with me.. I felt bad but people should check to see if your already getting something..

 

[Velvet Bubbles]

Please explain to me why the people who complain about being sent "mass" emails (an email where you want to tell all of your friends the same thing that's going on in your life - like finally getting married or something), are the same ones who send mass emails?

These same people who complain about the mass emails, complain that you put their email address either in the "To" or "CC" section instead of the "BCC" section where no one can see it. Because they don't want anyone being able to see their address. Guess who does the same thing they're complaining about?

And whatever happened to punctuation? <sighs>

References:
http://www.dictionary.com
http://thesaurus.reference.com
http://www.m-w.com This one is Mirriam Webster online!

 

[graceanne]

Can we add something in there about people who believe those stupid chain emails? Or the ones who send those 'you're my favorite five people' emails to like 100 people? Heck if it's supposed to be touching or wise or whatever PLEASE DON'T SEND IT TO ME. Chances are I've heard it or seen it a billion times.

Something that bugs people is when you don't pay any attention to what your sending to who. I do not send dirty jokes to my grandma, I do not send right wing political stuff to my liberal aunts and uncles. You need to PAY ATTENTION to who you're sending stuff to, not just click all the names in your address book.

My grandma once told me she had a friend who she never opened emails on, cause she was never sure if it was a dirty joke or what. But she always opened mine, cause she knew I was careful to only forward her things I thought she'd enjoy.

 

[Netzach]

LOL, reminds me of emails I get regularly from a cousin of mine. I adore her, but no longer open her sometimes 50+ a day emails (and this can be every day of the week, not once in a blue moon), instead delete them immediately. When I first moved here I would open her emails excitedly thinking it would be great to hear from her, hear the home/family gossip with her unique humour slant, only to find email after email was nothing more than a forwarded piece of poetry, humour, gossip etc., from someone else who had sent it to her after having it sent to them etc., etc. Now I delete without opening and try not to worry about the fact I might have deleted one in which she also said hello. Many of us have told her we don't get the time to read through what she sends (some can be pages long) and would much prefer an email just from her about what she is doing, but she continues to forward everything which comes her way.

Catalina

*screams* Oh the forwards. Once in a while is OK. I had this person and it was my GF. Seriously, my inclination to think positively and realize how beautiful I am IS compromised by opening another one of these and the negative thoughts I'm having incurred by a minute of my life I'll never get back times 1000

 

[satindesire]

I hate really long winded run on sentences that seem to go on forever without the single hint of any kind of punctuation or sentence break that if you say them out loud by the time you get to the end of the stupid thing you'd pass out from lack of oxygen....*pant pant*

 

[graceanne]

I hate really long winded run on sentences that seem to go on forever without the single hint of any kind of punctuation or sentence break that if you say them out loud by the time you get to the end of the stupid thing you'd pass out from lack of oxygen....*pant pant*

Huh?