Overview: When a company decides to buy a product (specifically complex products/systems like a PBX) it must decide which vendor is providing the most value

E-Mail Netiquette

Overview

Most cultures have a set of social standards that people are supposed to follow. E-mail netiquette is a term that refers to the etiquette that one should follow while in cyberspace. Netiquette is helpful because it tells people the rules for behaving correctly while online. Communicating over the computer means that non-verbal signals are not there to follow, only words on the screen. Therefore, users receive signals from people by things like having all of the words in capital letters, or by not using any punctuation marks. It is especially helpful to have rules for people who are new to using e-mail, because they may accidentally convey an unintended attitude with their words. Whether one is new to using e-mail or an old pro, knowing the proper netiquette can help one communicate more effectively and appropriately.

E-mail Technology

Over the last decade, the Internet has risen to be a technology giant in the communications and marketing field. The local dry cleaner shop can send out a two for one coupon to their patrons. Airlines can inform the public about the latest deals by sending out a mass e-mailer. This is a world filled with the sounds of data signals and the tapping of keyboards. Computers, and specifically e-mail, have revolutionized the way that families and businesses can communicate. Because it has become such a huge part of this society, researchers are now interested in things like "computer ethics" and e-mail netiquette. They are intrigued by the ways that e-mail is, and is not, like writing a note or letter by hand. E-mail is definitely here to stay, and will undoubtedly keep evolving and coming up with bigger and better ways to communicate.

Elements of E-mail

The basic components and functions of e-mail include:

First e-mail message was sent in 1971- a breakthrough was adding the @ sign to designate the receiving machine (www.howstuffworks.com)
An e-mail message is a text message, usually short unless an attachment is put on
E-mail clients allow people to see e-mails, create new e-mails, and view or create attachments
Some examples are: Microsoft Outlook, Eudora, and America Online
After someone composes a message in the e-mail client, the client connects to an e-mail server that formats the information and keeps it for the sender to pick-up later (www.howstuffworks.com)
There are two types of e-mail servers: SMTP Server and POP3 Server
SMTP Server, or Simple Mail Transfer Protocol, handles outgoing mail
POP3 Server, or Post Office Protocol, handles incoming mail
The "to" address has two parts: e.g., mjane@aol.com
The recipient name = mjane
The domain name = aol.com

Attachments

Attachments are files added to e-mail messages. Attachments can be word processing documents, spreadsheets, pictures, or sound files. E-mail messages only contain text, therefore attachments are not text. This problem used to be solved by hand by using a program called "uuencode", which transforms the binary information to text. Today, e-mail clients do this automatically for users.

User Responsibility

By having an e-mail account, users are agreeing to behave in a certain way. Here are a couple of technical ways to keep other users happy with you:

Check e-mail daily so that you remain within your limited disk quota
Delete messages you do not want immediately so they do not take up space
Download or extract messages to disks for future reference
Never keep or send anything that you do not want unintended receivers to see
Routinely do a virus-scan to prevent the spread of viruses to other systems
Just because you can perform a certain action does not mean that you should

Behavioral Guidelines

When using e-mail there are many rules and guidelines that should be kept in mind. Whether it is a message to a friend, a family member, or a co-worker, all receivers have certain expectations. If you do not want to offend someone or give someone the wrong impression, follow these simple tips.

General Issues

If an ethical problem comes up in cyberspace, use the guidelines from real life to help

Don’t be a novelist. People receive lots of e-mail messages a day, so they don’t want to read a long message.

Sarcasm is dangerous. E-mail does not convey emotions nearly as well as face-to-face conversations. The correspondent may have difficult telling if you are serious or kidding.

Keep messages concise and to the point - some people may get hundreds of e-mails a day

Do not write anything you would not say aloud in real life, because personal information could be exposed to others

Need to be clear, unambiguous: messages do not convey emotions well.

E-mail sent and received on company e-mail accounts will most likely be examined and read

Sending and Receiving Messages

Don’t attach large files without receivers’ permission: file attachments carry build-in risks, and tied up the recipient’s computer if their connection is slow

Do not CC (Carbon Copy) your message to everyone when only a few people really need to receive it

Don’t forward personal e-mail to a discuss group without permission

Sign your message: recipients feel more secure toward a message with full address and signature.

The Contents of Messages

Summarize the contents of the e-mail in the subject line - busy people may overlook a time-sensitive request unless it’s clearly stated

DON’T USE ALL CAPS. This is perceived as shouting.

Plain text is fine - do not overdo the punctuation, especially exclamation marks, because if something is important it should show in the text

Do not format messages to have fancy colors or fonts because some e-mail clients and servers cannot handle those formats

If you are going to use abbreviations, use ones that are common such as "FYI" and "BRB"

Use a spell checking function if your e-mail program has one

Using a smiley ( =) ) can help make sure that a statement is not misunderstood, though they are sometimes considered not appropriate for business

Avoid "flame", or insulting, e-mail messages because they are considered mean and nasty

Conclusion

Guidelines are not laws or rules intended to take away freedoms on the net. Instead, they provide users, new or experienced, with simple reminders on what is considered appropriate behavior while using e-mail. An interesting point to note is that while the medium is in many ways a reflection of the physical world, it is in other ways fundamentally different—manifesting its own customs and practices. In an ever-changing world of technologies, being prepared and knowledgeable about the e-mail system is just one way to stay ahead of the game.