September 2005
Tidbits
We use email every day, so I thought an entire Tidbits issue might be helpful. A lot of this is common sense, but some of the information I found surprised me so I hope you'll find some new things here, too.
Email etiquette
It's so easy to pop off an email that we forget some simple etiquette in our communications. Here are a few things to consider when composing your next message:
- (Here's one most of us know already, but it bears repeating...) DON'T USE ALL CAPS! IT'S HARD TO READ AND SEEMS LIKE YOU'RE SHOUTING!
- Use a spell checker to catch your mistakes.
- Use punctuation and appropriate capital letters to make reading easier.
- If you are forwarding a message that has been forwarded to you from others, cut out the lengthy headers at the top so people don't have to scroll through them to get to your message.
- Use BCC (blind carbon copy) when sending or forwarding email to a list of addresses. Your friends, colleagues or patrons don't need to have their email address go out to all of your contacts. BCC will hide the recipients' addresses from everyone who receives the message.
- Make sure you're sending the message to the right return address! It's easy to click on reply without realizing you might be replying to an entire email list rather than a single individual. It can be not only an uncomfortable mistake for you but irritating to an entire list of people.
Step up your email style
In addition to the etiquette tips above, here are some things you can do to kick up your email professionalism another notch.
- Respond to your email in a timely manner.
Even if it's just to say, "I'm really snowed under right now, I'll get back to you as soon as I can." This is a courteous way to let people know you received their message, and they won't send you a second, third or fourth because they haven't heard back and want to check on your response. - Make sure it's worth sending.
We are bombarded with loads of email every day. Don't add to the piles unless it's something relevant and worthy of someone else's time. - Be concise and clear about what you need.
Shorter emails with clear instructions will receive better responses. Keep it short and simple and tell people exactly what you need in reponse to your message. - Sign your email.
Be sure to include a signature on every email you send that includes your contact information. This will ensure that the recipient will be able to reach you in the manner most convenient to them.
Composing good subject lines
I often scan the subject lines of my list of received emails to determine which I need to get to first. Some subjects are better than others as far as tellling me what's in the message before I open it is concerned.
You can make it easier for people to quickly determine what kind of action your email will require by including clues in your subject lines. Here are some good examples from 43 folders:
- Lunch rescheduled to Friday @ 1pm
- Reminder: Monday is "St. Bono's Day"--no classes
- REQ: resend Larry Tate zip file?
- HELP: can you defrag my C drive?
- Thanks for the new liver--works great!
It is generally not a good idea to include phrases that might sound like spam to a spam filter. For example, "Free Money!" or "Look at this" or "link sharing" are too generic and might be trashed before they are opened. A clear subject line can save the recipient time and help you get a quicker response.
Adieu
Farewell until next time from the library system where all the computers are fast, all the books are worth reading, and all the librarians are above average!
This issue of Tidbits was written by Beth Carpenter, Web Services Manager for the Outagamie Waupaca Library System. Please send any comments or questions about this issue to Beth.
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