Email has been such a mainstay of business for so long that everyone who uses it takes for granted that they are using it correctly. This is not always the case, and when you are very used to something, it is easy get complacent about the way you conduct yourself over email. The fundamentals are the same, and if you remember just a few simple things, you will not go wrong with emailing.
The most important thing to remember is to never email something you wouldn't be OK with everybody reading. It sounds like a paranoid statement, but more than just user error can make it so someone else can read your emails. Many companies back up all email files so that the second your email crosses the server, a record of it exists. You can delete it out of your email, but that copy is there in the files and there is nothing you can do about it. There is always the possibility that the company has installed keylogging software on your computer, another way the powers that be can see what you write. Finally, there is always the possibility that if you send an email to someone, they might reply all, forward, or otherwise betray your confidence. Just like you should never say anything behind anyone's back that you wouldn't say to their face, so you should not say anything over email that you wouldn't be comfortable with everyone in your organization reading. Consider every piece of email another entry for your personnel file, because it truly is.
Another thing to remember is to never "reply all." If someone sends an email to you and a number of other people, and it is, in fact, work-related, it might be OK to reply to all of them. Then again, it might be good to reply to the person who sent the email, and enter the other recipients manually. This, too, sounds paranoid, and it is not true (in most email systems) that a "reply all" means that people who are blind copied get the response. The reason you should do this is not to fool the system, it is an exercise that makes you think about what you are doing. You're sending out a written communication. Long ago, when handwritten letters were delivered via horses and ponies, how many people sent out the same letter to a group of people unless it was absolutely necessary? Email communication needs to be handled the same way. Who needs to read this message? Who does not? Any communication you send out is a reflection of yourself, and care and thought should be involved. In a "reply all " situation, it is far too easy to get sloppy and careless.
Lastly, spell check. Look at your grammar and punctuation. Reread your content. If someone sent you a long email with a lot of different questions, it does not do to answer only one of those questions and leave the rest unaddressed. It does not do to send out any correspondence that is not letter-perfect in terms of spelling, grammar, and punctuation. As was stated before, the communication you send out is an extension of your own personal brand, and it is important that you represent yourself favorably.
The most important thing to remember is to never email something you wouldn't be OK with everybody reading. It sounds like a paranoid statement, but more than just user error can make it so someone else can read your emails. Many companies back up all email files so that the second your email crosses the server, a record of it exists. You can delete it out of your email, but that copy is there in the files and there is nothing you can do about it. There is always the possibility that the company has installed keylogging software on your computer, another way the powers that be can see what you write. Finally, there is always the possibility that if you send an email to someone, they might reply all, forward, or otherwise betray your confidence. Just like you should never say anything behind anyone's back that you wouldn't say to their face, so you should not say anything over email that you wouldn't be comfortable with everyone in your organization reading. Consider every piece of email another entry for your personnel file, because it truly is.
Another thing to remember is to never "reply all." If someone sends an email to you and a number of other people, and it is, in fact, work-related, it might be OK to reply to all of them. Then again, it might be good to reply to the person who sent the email, and enter the other recipients manually. This, too, sounds paranoid, and it is not true (in most email systems) that a "reply all" means that people who are blind copied get the response. The reason you should do this is not to fool the system, it is an exercise that makes you think about what you are doing. You're sending out a written communication. Long ago, when handwritten letters were delivered via horses and ponies, how many people sent out the same letter to a group of people unless it was absolutely necessary? Email communication needs to be handled the same way. Who needs to read this message? Who does not? Any communication you send out is a reflection of yourself, and care and thought should be involved. In a "reply all " situation, it is far too easy to get sloppy and careless.
Lastly, spell check. Look at your grammar and punctuation. Reread your content. If someone sent you a long email with a lot of different questions, it does not do to answer only one of those questions and leave the rest unaddressed. It does not do to send out any correspondence that is not letter-perfect in terms of spelling, grammar, and punctuation. As was stated before, the communication you send out is an extension of your own personal brand, and it is important that you represent yourself favorably.
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