What would Emily Post say about Email?

In today’s fast-paced world, we find ourselves emailing, texting, blogging, tweeting and using social networking sites to communicate with each other. It almost seems “old-fashioned” to actually use your cell phone to place a call. So, if we are going to communicate most often through writing, it is especially important to follow a few simple rules of etiquette so you can maintain a happy co-existence with those whom you message.

Be concise!

Don’t use ALL CAPS—It’s rude

Be careful not to use too many abbreviations—not everyone knows what they mean

“Reply All” when you should and don’t use it when you shouldn’t—there is nothing more annoying than forwarding responses because someone didn’t hit the “Reply All” button or receiving 200 email responses not meant for you

Use “BCC”—that means “blind carbon copy” (it’s not the default setting to show this field, but it is VERY important when sending mass emails)

Don’t start a new message to respond to someone—the thread is the very essence of email communication

Use a subject—it’s helpful for the reader to skim his messages and decide priority

Plain text is much better than rich HTML—keep it simple

Use emoticons sparingly

Keep attachments under 5MB when possible