E-mail Etiquette

E-mail for many people has replaced sending letters through the postal system. The art of sitting down writing a personal letter or business letter for that matter, folding the paper in a conventional way, sealing the envelope, addressing it and attaching a stamp is quickly disappearing.

When was the last time you got a letter from a friend, or a family member some distance away? Our mailboxes are filled with advertising, junk mail, and bills.

Now that we have e-mail, there are some things to remember about how to send something that will gain the attention of the reader at the other end without offending them.

Informal E-mail

If we are writing to friends, it is possible to be informal and use language and abbreviation that we wouldn't normally use if we were writing to someone we don't know.

Even with our friends there is are some basic considerations that are appreciated. It's all a case of manners.

Here are a few hints that even your friends will appreciate:

1. Get to the point. What is the message about?
2. Provide all of the necessary information.
3. Make sure that if you say you have attached something, it is attached.

Formal E-mail

Now what about formal e-mail messages? (These are letters to the Premier of the province, requests for assistance from government departments, or sharing information with someone you don't know in another community.)  These are a few tips:

1. Get to the point.
2. Provide contact information beyond your e-mail address.
3. Use a greeting like: Dear Sir,
4. Explain what the purpose of the message is in the first sentence.
5. Make your message as direct as possible.
6. Try not to be long-winded. (Some people have hundreds of mail messages to read each day.)
7. Use a closing:  For example:Thank you for your attention.

   Yours Truly,

   Supergeek

 

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Page Last Updated: April 12, 2006 9:56 AM

Skills for the 21st Century