It is appropriate to make one of my first articles on proper email etiquitte. Unlike many emails you receive, this article might be one of the few that you should forward to someone who needs it!

Email is a great form of communication because of its speed, because it forms a permanent record (which is typically admissible in court also), and because the text can be cut and pasted into other programs, unlike a written letter. Email also has the advantage of copying an original message in a reply, or to reply to all of the recipients, or to be sent out "in bulk" for no more cost or energy than a single email.

Unfortunately, those same ease-of-use features are what make email easy to abuse. Here are the two most chronic diseases affecting email users, followed by some suggestions for the rest of us:

Disease #1: Auto-Reply Syndrome Effect (ARSE for short, which is German for "ass").
Have you ever received an email where the subject line reads something like this:

"FW: Re: FW:[ FW:] Pass this on to someone you love!"

This email has been passed on at least four times. Most of us just instinctively hit the delete button for emails like this. You also know how hard these are to read because email programs keep pushing the original message to the bottom or place it in an attachment. If you are going to reply or forward an email and it is longer than a page (can't see the whole email on screen), please cut out the unnecessary repeated sections before sending.

Disease #2: Reply-All Button Abuse. (A severe addiction for many.) Some people are so infatuated with email that they insist on always replying to the sender AND all recipients. This disease affects their vision and they can no longer see the Reply Button, only the Reply All Button. Perhaps they think they will start a big discussion on the subject. The honest truth is, for most discussions replying to ALL the recipients is not necessary or wanted. After all, if your friend sends a wedding invitation via postal mail, you reply to them, and not to everyone on their list. Same thing applies here.

Here are some suggestions:

Most important of all: If you have someone who abuses email, tell them! The annoyance you save may be your own, but do it for the rest of us that are considerate.

If you must reply to others on the list, hit "reply all" and then delete the names that don't absolutely need it before you send.

If the original email was long, cut it from your reply, or leave only the parts of it that are related to your reply. We've all seen it, we all have it, we probably don't want to see it again.

If you reply to the sender AND other recipients, start by indicating to the recipients WHY you sent it to them also ( for example: John, what do you think about Bob's choice of colors (second paragraph below)? Susan, didn't you say you could get those cheaper than 45.00 each (first paragraph)? Joe in marketing, I can help with this project as long as it's before the 1st - SAM. )

Unless it's a short note, include your name and the name of the person you're addressing. I still believe emails should be like postal letters. Don't assume that the other party knows your name based on your email.

Get to the point on the subject line, but give enough information. If you send multiple emails back and forth on the same subject, all of the emails will start to look the same. Make them distinguishable.

Always type in the full path to a web location (URL), i.e. at least starting with www. If you do this, usually they will be able to simply click and go there without having to cut and paste the location in their browser.

That's it! Remember-if someone is inconsiderate of these things, tell them!