Given the longevity of networks & communication technologies as a messaging medium and the risk of creeping complacency, we occasionally need to remind ourselves that email etiquette is important if we are to maintain our professionalism when communicating.

Any ‘career professional’ knows that, whether they be a representative of a global corporate enterprise or a self-employed freelancer / contractor, license to send email messages does'nt require correspondence courses in advance! we just need to remember a simple set of rules, practice them, and thus avoid the pitfalls.

As a brief recap it is worth remembering why the business world originally introduced email guidance policies, namely:

• To maintain and convey a professional image
• To gain efficiency through well worded and well managed email messages
• To protect against liability through user awareness

The following summarises the general rules, and for brevity intentionally excludes excessive background information or justification:

General points to remember

• No email message is private or secure.
• Email is not real-time communication and responses will have inherent delays.
• ‘Fun email stuff’ such as smilies and emoticons are not professional.
• Email excludes non-verbal expression – body language and tone of voice are absent.
• Emotionally based statements can invoke misguided responses.
• Efficient email messages are concise, succinct, and accurate.
• Questions should always be answered and follow up questions pre-empted.
• Responses should be timely – same working day or within 24 hours.
• Libelous, offensive, or racist remarks should not be sent or forwarded.
• Language should be kept gender neutral where appropriate.
• Threads should be maintained by using ‘reply’ instead of ‘new message’ where appropriate.
• Quotes in replies should only include relevant text from previous emails (using > symbols).
• Delivery and read receipts should not be requested.
• Sent and received attachments should be scanned for viruses.
• The ‘high priority’ flag should be avoided unless absolutely essential.
• Liability disclaimers should be added to internal and outgoing messages.
• Permission should be sought from recipient(s) before large attachments are sent.
• Messages or attachments should not be copied without the permission of the originator. Without permission you might be infringing on copyright laws.
• Spam should never be replied to.
• Email should be sent from a professional address (ideally consistent with your business card design).

Content and formatting

• Always double-check the ‘To’ address to ensure it is that of the intended recipient(s) – don’t confuse a group address with an individual’s address.
• ‘Cc’ should be used sparingly, i.e. only copy to relevant recipients.
• ‘Bcc’ is generally considered bad form in a professional environment.
• The subject line should be relevant to the email message.
• The subject line should not be changed when replying to a message.
• Salutations should be appropriate to your relationship with the recipient(s).
• Capital letters should only be used where grammatically correct.
• Punctuation should be appropriate, not excessive - use exclamation points sparingly!
• Abbreviations should be used only where commonly understood.
• Plain text, (not HTML or Rich Text Format) should be used wherever possible.
• Paragraphs should be kep to 7 or 8 lines with a blank line between paragraphs.
• Text should be flush left and ragged right (do not indent text).
• Lines should break naturally. Manually broken lines should be 64 characters or less.
• Sentences should be kept to a maximum of 16-20 words.
• Signatures should be four lines maximum and include the senders’ email address.
• Spelling should always be checked before sending.

Adhere to the rules, don’t feel the need to rush for that online degree in correspondence! and enjoy successful trouble-free emailing.