Effective and Courteous E-mail Writing

Effective e-mail writing saves time, gets your message across faster, and improves communication.
Apply these easy, yet effective tips to write more effective and courteous e-mails.

Don't write e-mails in CAPITALS
Writing in all capitals is a highly annoying habit, disliked by many e-mail recipients. Using capitals equals shouting - and shouting is never a good idea. And that includes words such as IMPORTANT. Slightly less annoying, but still a no-no, is writing e-mails in all lower caps.

K-I-S-S
Keep It Short, keep it Simple.
Write short sentences. Give the structure of your e-mail some thought. White space between short paragraphs makes for easier reading. Refrain from using color, clipart or script fonts. As for the content of your e-mail, address your main topic in the first sentence. Also, be sure to personalize your e-mail.

Yes, it's just an e-mail, but you still have to use proper GRAMMAR!
(Sorry for the shouting.) Apart from using the spell-check, review your e-mail to check for mistakes before you hit send.

Think twice before you hit the forward button.
E-mails that encourage you to forward to everyone you know are often chain letters, junk mail or hoaxes, possibly even a virus. Do not forward e-mails containing virus warnings. A quick search on the Internet, using a key phrase mentioned in the e-mail, is often all you need to expose hoax e-mails. If you have received a hoax e-mail, delete it immediately.

Answer promptly
The reason people write e-mails is because they want a fast answer. It is common e-mail courtesy to answer in a timely fashion. Also, address all questions thoroughly. Otherwise the recipient will just e-mail back and ask for clarification.

Subject line
To use e-mails effectively, never leave the subject line empty. Use a concise word to sum-up the subject. Don't just write "please read" or "important". With a meaningful subject line your e-mail is more effective for both you and the recipient.

Delete spam
The web would be a better place without spam. Since spam turns up in anyone's e-mail inbox from time to time, learn how to deal with it. Never reply to spam, never unsubscribe, never forward it. If you respond to a spam e-mail, you will generate more spam. Why? Because you have confirmed that your e-mail address is active.

Use the Bcc: field (blind carbon copy)
When addressing a long list of recipients, use Bcc. That way, the recipients won't know about each other, because the e-mail addresses are hidden. It is common courtesy to protect someone else's e-mail. However, use the To: and the CC: field for recipients you want to inform about your message publicly.

With these simple e-mail rules you make sure that your e-mails are effective and useful for the recipient.