Computer Guys Live Free Tech Tips

Tuesday, May 08, 2007

E-mail survival / etiquette ....

If you haven’t noticed, email has replaced everything as the most common form of
communication in use today. Text messaging is growing fast but that is for another
article.

This article is about e-mail. Email has become the preferred method of business, even for civilians. In fact, the largest and fastest segment of the computer market is the 60 and older crowd.

It is easy to understand why. E-mail offers convenience and multi-media abilities.
Now there are a lot of rules as far as security and safety are concerned. What about
the rules of etiquette that govern e-mail? Do you know what the new rules are? Do
you know when to respond or not?

Well, I did some research and here is some of what the “experts” say: The first, and this is most important. E-mail IS NOT PRIVATE! No matter what you may think or feel, email IS NOT PRIVATE. Once you write and send something, it is out there. And, it may be stored on a dozen servers along the way. NEVER put anything in an email that you would not want somebody to read. It will happen.

Another important thing to remember is that e-mail is a “best effort” service. This
means that it is not a guaranteed service. Nobody makes any promises as to delivery
or security. Your email may get there instantly or it may take hours and it may do both in the same day. Once you send it and the mail clears your providers server, it is in the cloud and out of your control. So just be aware.

Now on to the dos and don’ts. Don’t - Post your address on a website or anywhere
online. Once the spam starts it does not end. Don’t - Send or forward chain letters.
This is a fast way to spread infections. Don’t - Send large attachments. Don’t - Reply to an email when angry. You will regret it. Don’t - Leave e-mail on the server,
especially large attachments. This will clog your inbox and can prevent mail from
coming in. Email is not a storage device and your data will not be safe.

Now some dos: Do - Be polite, email can be easily misinterpreted. Do - Tell the
recipient when you forward a message to someone else. Do - E-mail is generally
informal but be careful. Because, again, email can easily be misinterpreted. Do - Keep messages to the point. Do - Reduce large files (pictures, video) before you send them.

Most imaging software comes with a function to reduce these for e-mail. Also most
e-mail services have a limit on the size of attachments. Do (and my personal peeve) -
Not all e-mail requires a response. But there are times when a simple “got it” can save so much confusion. This is especially true if there is a question or attachment.

So there you have it. There are more rules. These are just the ones I like. A simple
understanding of how e-mail works will help relieve a lot of frustration.
(Read More on How e-mail works)
By Chris Kaminski,
Head Tech for Computer Guys Live