E-Mail

Communication is one of the key uses of technology these days. This is especially true regarding people's careers. E-mail has become an important way for employers to be in touch with their employees in order to make sure that their business stays afloat properly and that they can get their job done. Due to this, it is important that people are aware how to properly write an e-mail. There are several key rules when working with e-mail in order to stay as professional and efficient as possible. Here are a few of them:

• Professionalism: Use language that projects a professional image to your audience.
• Confidentiality: Be respectful of personal information and delicate information. Remember that a follow-up phone call or personal meeting is always an option.
• Efficiency: Simple emails that get directly to the point are always more successful. Be concise and to the point.
• Check your spelling, punctuation and grammar. It's OK to be a little informal in a email, but don't be sloppy.
• Make sure it looks good. Use a professional font (times new roman, arial, or helvetica are probably trhe best choices). It should be easy to read your message. Don't use all capitals, symbols, abbreviations, or emoticons in formal communications.
• Remember that email is NOT private. Digital copies of your message will exist online for a very long time and unlike an old fashioned letter, the text of your emails can always be searched for a key words or phrases. Such searches could be conducted by your employer, the email service provider you are using,or even the government.
• Careful with tone in an email. When we communicate face-to-face 70 to 90 percent of the communication is non-verbal. Unfortunately, in an email things like sarcasm, jokes, double or hidden meanings can often be confusing. Try to avoid them.
• Don't Forward Junk Mail. Messages that are probably fake, full of rumors, urban legends or just advertisements should just be deleted. We have a good technology tip about Zaping Email Legends (Tech Tip #143) that can help you separate fact from fiction.