Technology: E-mail Etiquette

Good e-mail etiquette improves your productivity and facilitates good communication with co-workers; however, because of a lack of visibility, you can't look at eye contact and body language. Here is a list of the 10 most common e-mail mistakes and how to fix them.

1. Unclear Subject line: Give your e-mail a clear concis and neutral title free from any negative words.
2. Poor (or absent) Greeting: Don't just go into the body of your e-mail. Even if your message is about a problem it is always necessary to start your e-mail with a friendly greeting.
3. Using Uncommon Abbreviations: Take the extra time to spell out everything. You don't want to take the risk of using abbreviations that your audience doesn't know. This may make them frustrated and less likely to respond.
4. Unnecessary CC-ing: It's not necessary to courtesy copy many people, just CC those directly involved and only if absolutely necessary.
5. Using all Capital Letters: Some people may use caps to emphasize a point but don't because this shows anger and it seems like you are yelling at someone.
6. Sloppy Grammar, spelling, and punctuation: A quick e-mail is no excuse for not double checking your writing, use spell check and make sure everything is right otherwise it looks careless and unprofessional.
7. No Closing or Sign Off: It's important to end your message on a positive note so remember to include a friendly closing.
8. Difficult to Read: This is closely related to proper grammer. If there are run on sentences or missing paragraphs, you won't be able to get your message across to the reader.
9. Unfreindly Tone: It is important to keep your tone in check as making accusations can put the reader on the defensive.
10. Lack of a clear request: Don't try to minimize what the e-mail is about. If you want something done, make a clear and polite request.