Netiquette, or email etiquette, is about the manners we use on the Internet. Cyberspace has its own culture and has developed its own rules. Without knowing network etiquette, you might make some social mistakes or offend someone unintentionally.
The rules of netiquette are based on common sense and respect, but since email is so fast, we often forget that we are still using a written form of communication.
Netiquette or Email Etiquette The Top 10 Rules are:
1. Imagine your message on a billboard. Anything you send can be forwarded, saved, and printed by people it was never intended for. Never submit anything that reflects negatively on you or anyone else.
2. Remember that company emails are the property of the company. Emails sent from your workplace can be monitored by people other than the sender and reader, and are technically the property of the company.
3. Avoid offensive comments. Anything obscene, libelous, offensive or racist does not belong in a company email, even as a joke.
4. Keep your message fresh. Email messages can be easily misinterpreted because we don’t have the tone of voice or body language that gives us the most clues. The use of multiple points of explanation, emoticons, and all-caps words can be construed as emotional language.
5. Be careful with forwarding messages. If you’re not sure if the original sender would want to forward the message, don’t.
6. Don’t expect an immediate response. Email messages can be delivered quickly, but may not be read immediately by your recipient.
7. Don’t sacrifice accuracy for efficiency. Don’t send sloppy, unedited emails. Experts say that for every grammatical mistake in an email, there are an average of three misspellings. While the odd misspelling is overlooked, when your readers have to break communication to decipher a word or message, you’ll look sloppy, if not illiterate at best. At worst, they may stop reading.
8. Include the message thread. Save the original message for a record of your conversation. However, when you send a new message to the same person, start a new thread with a new subject line.
9. Do not write in all CAPS. It is perceived as SCREAM. However, don’t write with only lowercase letters, as this is perceived as lazy, as it makes it more difficult for people to read.
10. Write clear, organized messages with a subject that gives enough information for the reader to file and find later.
I encourage you to use these net etiquette rules and tips when sending an email.