Email Etiquette

Email Etiquette


WHAT EXACTLY IS "NETIQUETTE"?
Netiquette = Network Etiquette
Email Etiquette and Proper Technology Use

"Using technology effectively to communicate with others
with knowledge, understanding and courtesy." TM
· Do you skip including a courteous greeting and closing in your emails because you believe they are not necessary?
· Do you type in caps or all small case?
· Do you send unannounced large attachments that shut down the other side’s email?
· Do you forward emails with everyone’s email address in the To: field?
· Do you forward emails without including a friendly personal comment?
· Do you email sites asking for information they do in fact have online for your convenience simply because you don’t want to take the time to read?
These are just a few of the things that can have you being perceived as an online knucklehead.



Little Common Courtesies
1. Do not type in all caps.
2. Do not leave the Subject: field blank.
3. Refrain from formatting your email with colored text and background colors or images in your day to day communications.
4. On those rare occasions where it is necessary to send a group of people the very same email, as a courtesy to those you are sending to, please list all of the recipients email addresses in the BCC field.
5. Never expose your contact’s addresses to strangers!
6. Never give out phone numbers or personal information without confirming you are communicating with a reputable party.
7. Make a reasonable effort to search a Web site for the information you are looking for.
8. Do not use Return Receipt Request (RR) for each and every email you send.
9. Understand that you will be on a continual learning curve.
10. If you receive a nasty email - do not respond immediately - if at all.
11. Keep in mind that all private email is considered to be copyrighted by the original author.
12. Always minimize, compress or “zip” large files before sending.
13. Do not forward virus warnings!

Red Means Red!
It is very common for me to get e-mails asking what a sender meant by having only certain text in their e-mail purposely changed to red.
Red is an aggressive color. The term “seeing red” means that someone is mad or so upset that they are seeing red. So it goes without saying that when it comes to communicating with the written word it is safe to assume when someone changes select text to red — that they are making a point.
If in a business letter if you changed only certain words or sentences to red, what would that mean? It would mean you are making a strong point. It would mean you are adding a robust emphasis to those particular terms or sentences. Same goes for e-mail.

And, when you use red, you leave the level of emphasis up to the person on the other side to decide the level of emphasis you may have meant. Plan on them adding more emphasis than you may have intended!
Use our wonderful vocabulary to communicate what you mean, your anger or your emphasis instead of relying on formatting to get your message across. Turning selected text into red is the easy way out and risky at best.
Is BCc: Polite?
Have you found yourself the recipient of e-mail messages where there were probably recipients listed in the BCc; field, leaving you in the dark about who was or was not included in the message?
What are the E-mail Etiquette considerations for hiding recipient’s names from others on the mailing list? Isn’t this akin to having a phone conversation on a speakerphone without telling the person you’re calling?
In this situation that would depend on the reason for using BCc:. Is the Sender trying to protect the privacy of their contact’s by not exposing their addresses to others receiving the e-mail whom they may not know? Or, is the Sender quietly letting others know of a conversation with someone else? The latter could be good or bad depending on motives; while the former is the right thing to do.

If the others that were BCc’d do not know each other, putting their e-mail addresses in the BCc: field to protect the privacy of their e-mail address is the proper thing to do. Now, if you all know each other and don’t mind having the others see your e-mail addresses, the question then becomes, what was the Sender’s motive in BCc’ing folks on a correspondence?
If you are e-tattling or copying others who are not related to the conversation to share what is being exchanged purely to gossip — shame on you. E-mails are sent to you for your eyes only. To e-tattle, CYA or included other uninvolved parties will only serve to reflect negatively on you!
Motive is key…
When to Use RR (Return Receipt)
Return receipts are a way of knowing that an e-mail has been opened on the recipient’s computer. It does not however, mean the opened e-mail has been read. Do you have someone in your life who has this feature on for every single e-mail? I’ve found those are the folks that seem to want to know when you receive their e-mail even if the content is not critical or important - sorta a control thing.

Or, it could be your friend does not even know they have this option selected. Maybe nicely e-mailing them with a “Did you know…..?” letting them know this is not a feature to be used for every single casual e-mail can help to inform them.
The recipient should have the privacy to determine when/if they want to read an e-mail and reply to it. RRs should be reserved for those instances where it is critical to knowing the e-mail was received/opened. Such instances would include legal and important business issues.
It is important to know that some e-mail programs allow the recipient to decline the sending of an RR. I know when I receive RR requests, for the majority, I immediately decline. None of anyone’s bee’s wax when I opened any particular e-mail. That said, when it is an important matter and I can understand why there is an RR requested I go ahead and give my approval.
I use RR for legal issues and important company matters where I want to have some sort of proof or trail to document that an e-mail was sent and subsequently opened. I’ve never found a reason to use RRs with personal e-mails to friends or family. To send an RR request for every day-to-day e-mail, especially personal e-mail, is simply not necessary (and to be honest a PIA).

Requesting delivery receipts

To request delivery receipts for messages you send to others, you must be using Microsoft Exchange Server as your mail service.

Note For Outlook 2000, you must have installed Outlook in the Corporate/Workgroup (CW) mode.

You can request delivery receipts on either a per message basis or for all messages you send.

To request a delivery receipt for a specific message, follow these steps:
1. On the View menu of the message, click Options.
2. Under Voting and Tracking options, click to select the Request a delivery receipt for this message check box, and then click Close.
Outlook 2002 and Outlook 2003
To request delivery receipts on all messages you send in Microsoft Outlook 2002 and in Microsoft Office Outlook 2003, follow these steps:
1. On the Tools menu, click Options.
2. On the Preferences tab, click E-mail Options, and then click Tracking Options.
3. Under For all messages I send, request, click to select the Delivery receipt check box, and then click OK.
Outlook 2000
To request delivery receipts on all messages you send in Outlook 2000, follow these steps:
1. On the Tools menu, click Options.
2. On the Preferences tab, click E-mail Options and then click Tracking Options.
3. Click to select the Request a delivery receipt for all messages I send check box, and then click OK.

Requesting read receipts
To request a read receipt for messages you send to others, you can use either Microsoft Exchange Server or Internet Mail as your mail service. For Outlook 2000, you can install Outlook in the Internet Mail Only (IMO) mode. Alternatively, you can install Outlook in the CW mode. You can request read receipts on either a per message basis or for all messages you send.

To request a read receipt for a specific message:
1. On the View menu of the message, click Options.
2. Under Voting and Tracking options, click to select the Request a read receipt for this message check box, and then click Close.
Outlook 2002 and Outlook 2003
To request read receipts on all messages you send in Outlook 2002 and in Outlook 2003, follow these steps:
1. On the Tools menu, click Options.
2. On the Preferences tab, click E-mail Options, and then click Tracking Options.
3. Under For all messages I send, request, click to select the Read receipt check box, and then click OK.
Outlook 2000
To request read receipts on all messages you send in Outlook 2000, follow these steps:
1. On the Tools menu, click Options.
2. On the Preferences tab, click E-mail Options and then click Tracking Options.
3. Click to select the Request a read receipt for all messages I send check box, and then click OK.

“That is Not what I meant” Doesn’t Cut it!
I received an e-mail the other day from a potential client that included several accusations and very demanding comments about how, if they chose to work with me, I would run my business. Clearly this person had some bad experiences in the past with others they chose to work with and got burned. That was now being passed on to me to compensate for.
What type of impression do you think the approach will have? Not a good one! Any consultant worth their salt would run in the opposite direction of any potential client that approached them in this manner.
I am in the envious position of choosing who I work with. Come at me like that and you can bet I’ll be too busy to consider your project. I do not read anything into e-mails sent to me, I take them at their face value based on the choice of words used.

There are those who try to beat me up over their bad experiences with other consultants. As in the case of this particular e-mail, even expecting me to lower my rate to compensate for money already spent (wasted) with others. I don’t take kindly to being blamed for things I’ve never done, what others have done or being told what I should charge because of others poor choices.
I answered each comment point by point — factually and unemotionally. Their response? No apology — “that’s not what I meant — I didn’t intent to hurt your feelings.” My “feelings” were not hurt nor did I say so. I simply stated I was disappointed that they felt the need to type to me, someone they did not know or had never worked with, in the manner that they did. Truth be told — I was insulted.
“It was not meant to be personal, so please do not take it that way.” When you question my ethics or integrity without any reason or past experience — it is personal — very personal!
This is typical of people who just type what they want to without taking a moment to review if their questions/challenges are apropos or even accurate. You can’t say “it was not meant” or that “didn’t mean to” if you typed it! And if you find you are misunderstood — do not hesitate to humbly apologize.
In this case, this potential client was playing “boss” with me. If they would have taken a moment to review my site(s), bio or information, they certainly would not have sent the e-mail they did. But then again, maybe this particular e-bully would have…
I was supposed to accept that they knew what they “meant” regardless of what they typed, and I should also know that by osmosis. Not me — I hold people accountable for what they type and how they type it.
The moral of the story? You are what you type; you are the words you choose to use. Know that what you type will be taken at it’s face value by the other side — that they will take you at your word(s).
If you want to form strong and trusted partnerships with friends, family or business associates, you don’t whip off accusatory e-mails because you are having a bad day or had a bad experience that had nothing to do with the person you are communicating with.
You take your time, you choose your words carefully so as to relay your concerns while you make darned sure that what you type is what you mean because that is exactly how it will be taken.
And, if you don’t want to make that effort, don’t be surprised when the response you receive is not what you desired — that is if you get one at all.
Is Cc: Enough to Forward to Others?
What is proper E-mail Etiquette when forwarding personal e-mails sent to you to a third party? By Cc:ing the Sender when you forward their e-mail make it “O.K.”? No it does not! That e-mail was sent to you for your eyes only!
Whether it be a business or personal e-mail common courtesy would dictate you don’t forward e-mails sent to you, to others, without the original sender’s knowledge. That said, we all know people who do this every day. And as I am sure you can agree, rarely is it for positive reasons. Usually its to make fun of, e-tattle or to just plain gossip. For those who do this, know this practice will come back to haunt you one day. You do so to others; they do the same to you.
All e-mails are naturally copyright protected by the author. So in order to forward an e-mail sent to you to another person, you should get the writer’s permission to do so first.

Cc’ing doesn’t negate your responsibility to ask for permission. Notifying the Sender as you forward their e-mail does not replace asking before you take action. The Sender may not want their words to you published to others. That is their choice to make — not yours.
E-mails are sent and written to the party for which they were intended, not to be sent to others without the Sender’s knowledge or permission. By Cc’ing without asking you risk the Sender getting upset due to the possibility they didn’t want the content shared. Even if you feel there is nothing personal or that the e-mail is about a “common subject” that is subjective to each person’s definition of what can be considered common.
So show you get it and are not a sneaky gossiper. Always ask first before sharing any e-mail sent to you.
Proper Use of Reply to All.
How ironic that those who complain about others use of Reply to All also seem to be those who do not respect the privacy of their contacts by using the BCc: field!
You only use Reply to All when you are confident that “all” will be interested in the content of the e-mail or need to be aware of that information. You do not use Reply to All to CYA or to e-mail those you don’t know whose e-mails were irresponsibly displayed by the Sender in the To: or Cc: fields.

If you are the Sender, if you e-mail a bunch of folks who do know each other and include their names visibly in the To: or Cc: field, do not be surprised if those who receive your message view that as an invitation to communication or have a discussion with all involved. You cannot have all those e-mails displayed and then get upset if those you send to hit Reply to All.
Reply to All abuse and misunderstandings can be avoided easily:
1. Senders: If you don’t want those you e-mail to use Reply to All, then use the BCc: field to list all your contact’s addresses so they are not seen by those who receive your message. Then, if one of those folks hits Reply to All — it only goes to you.
2. Recipients: You don’t Reply to All if you do not know “all.” Reply to the Sender only. And, please use your discretion as to what you feel everyone needs or wants to know. If you are not sure, only reply to the Sender.
Easy!

Online Copyright Myth.
One of the most misunderstood issues online has to do with copyright. Both with e-mail and Web site content copyright issues. For some reason, as with many things online, there is this incorrect perception that anything goes or that the entire online world is “public domain.” Many are finding out the hard way that when it comes to protecting creative collateral; copyright is law. And, copyright laws can and are being enforced online.
No, I am not an attorney. Nor do I play one on T.V. But I can help you avoid potential problems based on guiding clients for over a decade about the issues involved in using other’s work. Hopefully, this effort will help you from finding out the hard way that copyright is alive and well online.
1. “I can right click, save anything online and use it how I wish.”
This is a perfect example of just because you can doesn’t mean you do! Those graphics or files were created by someone out there. They legally attained the copyright upon that file’s creation. Without their specific permission to use that file or graphic, you have no right to just take it and use it as you please. There is no exception to this rule. Always ask a site owner before you illegally swipe anything off their site to display on yours.
2. “As long as I note the author’s name, I can use their site’s content on my site.”
Although you are being nice and giving credit where credit is due, you still need to ask the author’s permission to post their work on your site. The author may not want their information posted anywhere off their own site or they many not approve of your site as a venue for their information - that is their choice to make not yours. Just because you choose to give credit doesn’t give you permission. Always ask a site owner if you can use their content before you put it on your site.
3. “I can link to graphics on other sites so that they display on my site.”
O.K., maybe you didn’t actually download the graphic and put it on your server, but if you are displaying someone’s work on your site without their permission the bottom line is still the same. And, you are using their server’s resources to display their files on your site.
4. “I can display pages from other Web sites within frames on my site.”
Many site owners prohibit their site pages from being framed within another site because it gives the impression that the other site created the information. Many times folks innocently do this so they don’t have to send site visitors off their site for information they want to provide. Others do so to precisely give the impression it is content they created. A better option is to link to the information you like and create a new window to open when doing so to ensure your site is still available to your site visitors.
5. “If I only quote a portion of other site’s content and link to them I do not need their permission.”
Again, it would behoove you to have permission to do so. Using only portions allows you to possibly give the wrong impression about the author’s overall content and this can be misleading at best. If you want to quote any written work in whole or part you need to ask permission to do so.
6. “If I pay someone to create graphics for my Web site, I own the copyright to those graphics.”
Not necessarily. Unless your agreement with the graphic artist explicitly states that upon your payment all of their rights are then transferred to you in whole, you most likely only have exclusive license to use those graphics. In addition, to purchase the full copyright will cost you a much more than simple exclusivity!
The fact is that the moment anything is created whether it be written or drawn, the creator owns the copyright - that’s the law. Copyright can only be transferred in a written legally binding agreement signed by the creator of the work stating they are transferring their rights to you. Saying you own it because you paid for it doesn’t make it legal fact.
7. “E-mail is not copyright protected once it is sent.”
E-mail is a written work that once created is copyright protected by the author. This means you cannot post publicly an e-mail sent to you privately. You cannot post private e-mails to your site, to message boards or to your blog without the author’s specific permission to do so.
Just because an e-mail was sent to you as a private communication does not mean you then own it and can do with it what you like. In addition, e-mail that is posted to a group of people, on a mailing list or Newsgroup does not make the e-mail available for reposting, copying, or any other use - not without the express and written consent of the author.
What’s the bottom line with online copyright?
Courtesy! Don’t assume that you can use, repost or take anything you find online simply because you can. Be a courteous Netizen and always ask first!
Seek out the DMCA (Digital Millennium Copyright Act) page and policy statement on your ISP and hosting provider’s Web sites to handle complaints and reports in regard to copyright abuse. Take some time to read that information and make yourself aware of your rights and make sure you do not infringe on others. The main resource for all the legal mumbo jumbo on online copyright and the DMCA is on the Governments site @ http://www.copyright.gov.
Again, I am not an attorney nor am I providing legal advice. I hope I’ve informed you of some of the issues that need to be seriously considered by all who are online whether they are creating their own or using others creative or written works.

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