Email

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Netiquette and the Correct Use of E-mail

The word netiquette refers to the rules of etiquette as applied to Internet communications. As electronic communications such as e-mail become more and more commonplace, many people have written about the proper use of these tools. Some common rules and guidelines are as follows:

• Do not use all capitals in your message. IT GIVES THE IMPRESSION THAT YOU ARE SHOUTING.

• The subject line should contain a useful description of the contents of your message.

• E-mail is more casual than memos or letters. Use smileys or emoticons (e.g., 0)to display emotions and feelings, if it is possible that the reader of your message will misinterpret your tone. For a list of emoticons, see page 206. To see more smileys, visit www.nelson.com/btt.

• Keep messages short and to the point.

• When replying to a message, include the important parts of the original message. Doing so helps the reader follow the chain of the conversation, especially if it occurs over several days or weeks.

• Never send chain letters by e-mail.

<span style="font: normal normal normal 18px/normal 'Arial Black'; letter-spacing: 0px; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px;">• For international correspondence, be forgiving of minor grammar <span style="font: normal normal normal 18px/normal 'Arial Black'; letter-spacing: 0px; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px;">and spelling mistakes since English is not everyone's first language. <span style="font: normal normal normal 18px/normal 'Arial Black'; letter-spacing: 0px; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px;">Also, show respect for cultural differences. For example, do not use <span style="font: normal normal normal 18px/normal 'Arial Black'; letter-spacing: 0px; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px;">local slang expressions or make reference to events and people that <span style="font: normal normal normal 18px/normal 'Arial Black'; letter-spacing: 0px; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px;">would be recognized only by your local community. If your message <span style="font: normal normal normal 18px/normal 'Arial Black'; letter-spacing: 0px; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px;">contains expressions that you are not familiar with, politely ask the <span style="font: normal normal normal 18px/normal 'Arial Black'; letter-spacing: 0px; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px;">sender to clarify or rephrase the message.

<span style="font: normal normal normal 18px/normal 'Arial Black'; letter-spacing: 0px; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px;">• Do not use e-mail for personal thank-you notes or invitations (e.g., <span style="font: normal normal normal 18px/normal 'Arial Black'; letter-spacing: 0px; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px;">weddings). Hand-written notes give a more personal touch. Legal <span style="font: normal normal normal 18px/normal 'Arial Black'; letter-spacing: 0px; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px;">documents are too important to trust to cyberspace. Deliver them <span style="font: normal normal normal 18px/normal 'Arial Black'; letter-spacing: 0px; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px;">directly to the intended recipients, by courier or registered mail.

<span style="font: normal normal normal 18px/normal 'Arial Black'; letter-spacing: 0px; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px;">NETIQUETTE

<span style="font: normal normal normal 18px/normal 'Arial Black'; letter-spacing: 0px; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px;">There are countless sources of information on the Web about netiquette. To get more information about netiquette and cross-cultural communications in business, use the links at [|__www.nelson.com/btt__] to visit the websites for organizations that deal with this subject.

<span style="background-color: #e6e5e5; font: normal normal normal 18px/normal 'Arial Black'; letter-spacing: 0px; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px;">1. Find five rules or guidelines you were not aware of, and share these with your classmates. Compile a master list of netiquette rules and guidelines.

<span style="font: normal normal normal 18px/normal 'Arial Black'; letter-spacing: 0px; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px;">WRITING EFFECTIVE E-MAIL MESSAGES

<span style="font: normal normal normal 18px/normal 'Arial Black'; letter-spacing: 0px; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px;">E-mail is the most frequently used computer application. With so many people using this form of communication, it is essential that you develop skills in writing effective e-mail messages. It is important to remember that you have only a few seconds for people to scan your message, understand it, and determine what they need to do before they move on to the next message in their inbox. Not only do you have to write e-mails clearly, you cannot waste anyone's time, either. The following guidelines will help you compose more effective e-mails:

**●** Use clear subject lines. Think of your message as a newspaper <span style="font: normal normal normal 18px/normal 'Arial Black'; letter-spacing: 0px; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px;">article. The subject line is like a headline. Grab the attention of the <span style="font: normal normal normal 18px/normal 'Arial Black'; letter-spacing: 0px; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px;">reader, and let him or her know what the message is about.

**●** Formal salutations are not always necessary in e-mail. You can start your message with a simple "Hello" followed by the recipient's name. You can even use "Hi" if you are familiar with the recipient.

**●** Put the most important information in the first paragraph. If possible, refer to previous correspondence or messages to put your message in context.

**●** Use the paragraphs that follow to expand on the main message and <span style="font: normal normal normal 18px/normal 'Arial Black'; letter-spacing: 0px; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px;">provide supporting details.

**●** Keep your message short and to the point. An e-mail is not an essay.

**●** Avoid use of slang, jargon, and short forms, unless you are certain <span style="font: normal normal normal 18px/normal 'Arial Black'; letter-spacing: 0px; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px;">the recipient will understand your meaning.

**●** Use emoticons if you think the reader might misinterpret the tone of <span style="font: normal normal normal 18px/normal 'Arial Black'; letter-spacing: 0px; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px;">your message.

**●** Pay particular attention to spelling, grammar, punctuation, and good sentence structure. It is tempting to cut corners and forget about such things. However, errors increase your readers’ frustration because they have to figure out what you are trying to say. You also create the impression that you do not care or are sloppy.

**●** As with a Letter, you could end your message with a closing such as Sincerely or Regards followed by your name, even though your name is in the message header. For people you know well, you can <span style="font: normal normal normal 18px/normal 'Arial Black'; letter-spacing: 0px; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px;">use a less formal closing like "Bye" or just your initials. You can also <span style="font: normal normal normal 18px/normal 'Arial Black'; letter-spacing: 0px; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px;">use a signature Line to close your message.

**●** Consider who is receiving the message and what they might do with it. E-mail is very public. It can be forwarded to anyone!

**●** Send a carbon copy only to those people who must receive the message. Most people do not want to receive unnecessary e-mail <span style="font: normal normal normal 18px/normal 'Arial Black'; letter-spacing: 0px; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px;">messages.

**●** The last step is to always read over your message one last time before pressing the Send button.

<span style="font: normal normal normal 18px/normal 'Arial Black'; letter-spacing: 0px; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px;">Make sure

<span style="font: normal normal normal 18px/normal 'Arial Black'; letter-spacing: 0px; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px;">- your meaning is clear

<span style="font: normal normal normal 18px/normal 'Arial Black'; letter-spacing: 0px; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px;">- there are no typos or spelling mistakes

<span style="font: normal normal normal 18px/normal 'Arial Black'; letter-spacing: 0px; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px;">- that you are really saying what you want to say

E-MAIL REVIEW

<span style="background-color: #e6e5e5; font: normal normal normal 18px/normal 'Arial Black'; letter-spacing: 0px; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px;">2. Compose and key two e-mail messages with appropriate subject lines for the following situations:

<span style="background-color: #e6e5e5; font: 18.0px 'Arial Black'; line-height: 19.0px; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"> **●** You have been asked to send your big project report on Small Basic to the principal of your school. Your teacher is nominating you for an award for report writing, and the principal is the judge.

<span style="background-color: #e6e5e5; font: 18.0px 'Arial Black'; line-height: 19.0px; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"> **●** You are sending an e-mail to a company asking for information for your Chapter Project on electronic communication devices. You need the information within the next week.

<span style="font: normal normal normal 18px/normal 'Arial Black'; letter-spacing: 0px; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px;">What Is Instant Messaging (IM)?

<span style="font: normal normal normal 18px/normal 'Arial Black'; letter-spacing: 0px; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px;">One of the quickest ways to communicate with others on the Internet is through a "live" chat. The words that the participants key on their computers are immediately visible to the others in the conversation. <span style="font: normal normal normal 18px/normal 'Arial Black'; letter-spacing: 0px; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px;">These conversations can take place with many people at the same time all over the world. Many organizations are installing their own version of instant messaging, called Enterprise Instant Messaging. <span style="font: normal normal normal 18px/normal 'Arial Black'; letter-spacing: 0px; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px;">These organizations want to facilitate conversations among members of work groups at different locations without using the telephone. <span style="font: normal normal normal 18px/normal 'Arial Black'; letter-spacing: 0px; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px;">This saves time and money for the companies. People can instantly see when their colleagues are online.