It would appear that our quest to save time on key strokes has inadvertently reduced the English language to an uninspired, incomprehensible collection of abbreviations and acronyms. We have also traded clarity for confusion.

One thing is certain. We need more grace in our lives. Not heavenly grace; human grace.

Judging from the boorish manner in which most people compose and sign-off on e-mail messages, one cannot help but jump to the following conclusions:

• Most people are genuinely ignorant of the basic guidelines on the use of e-mail as a communications medium
• Most people have become so self-important and busy that they couldn’t be bothered to write proper notes to one another
• Most people do not expect others to take them seriously.

In any civilised society, human interactions are characterised by common courtesy, social graces and socially acceptable behaviour. This means professionalism and courtesy in business will always be in fashion - regardless of the mode of communication used, including e-mail.

The ways in which people choose to use e-mail - business’ main communication medium - serves to offend many people on a daily basis.

In business, lack of proper e-mail etiquette may very well deter those who otherwise may have considered doing business with you. Etiquette has to do with good manners and showing respect for others and yourself at the same time.

“To ignore established e-mail etiquette guidelines is to make a conscious decision to be thought of as rude, lazy, arrogant and uneducated,” says e-mail etiquette expert and author of ‘E-mail Etiquette Made Easy!’ Judith Kallos.

She defines e-mail etiquette as “using technology to communicate with knowledge, understanding and courtesy.”

The Dictionary of Computer and Internet Terms defines netiquette (network etiquette) as “the conventional practices that make the Internet usable. More than just politeness, netiquette involves fundamental respect for the rights of other users who are helping pay the cost of running the network.

Kallos, who is also author of ‘Because netiquette matters!’ - a comprehensive reference guide to e-mail etiquette and proper technology use says we judge others based on:

• What they do
• How they look
• What they say
• How they say it

Judgements about how you communicate include:

• What kind of human being you are (or are not)
• Your level of professionalism
• How credible you are
• How ethical you are
  

The most important rules of e-mail etiquette

Most e-mail etiquette mistakes happen when haste and emotion over-ride common sense.

Kallos says whether you use e-mail for business or pleasure, it is important to follow at least these basic rules of e-mail etiquette:

Use proper grammar and correct sentence structure

Construct proper sentences with appropriate punctuation. In English grammar, the first word of a sentence is always capitalised.

• The use of multiple instances of ‘!!!’ or ‘???’ is perceived as rude or condescending.
• Type in complete sentences. To type random phrases or cryptic thoughts is not a characteristic of clear communication.
• Do not type in all capitals. It is considered as yelling or shouting.
• Typing your e-mails in all lower case gives people the impression that you are uneducated or lazy.
• Do a spell-check. E-mails with grammatical errors are simply not taken as seriously.
• Use formatting sparingly. Instead, choose the most accurate words possible to convey meaning and reflect your tone; and avoid misunderstandings in the process.

Think of your business e-mail as a business letterhead and you will never go wrong.

Appropriate content, style and tone

• Formality is in place as a courtesy and shows respect. Assume the highest level of formality with new e-mail contacts until the relationship dictates otherwise. Refrain from getting too informal too soon in your e-mail communications.
• Address your contact with the appropriate level of formality; and ensure their name is spelt correctly.
• Make sure your e-mail includes a courteous greeting and closing, which make e-mails seem less demanding and abrupt.

Your salutation should be warm, friendly, and appropriate to the situation or environment you are in…and above all, it should be polite and friendly.

• Take the time to review each e-mail before clicking “send” to ensure your message is clear and you are relaying the tone that you desire.
• Always end your e-mails with "Thank you," "Sincerely," "Take it easy," "Best regards" – or any other appropriate phrase.
• Don't hesitate to say thank you, how are you, or appreciate your help.
• E-mailing site owners about your product or service through the site form is still spam. Ask them if they want more info first.
• When replying to e-mails always respond promptly and edit out unnecessary information from the post you are responding to.
• If you cannot respond to an e-mail promptly, at the very least e-mail back confirming your receipt and when the sender can expect your response. With emotionally charged e-mails, wait until the next morning to see if you feel the same before clicking Send. Remember that people forward e-mails.

Use the To, From, CC, BCc and subject lines correctly

• Think about your motives when adding addresses to the “To,” “CC,” and “BCc” fields
• Don't use Return Receipt (RR) setting on every single e-mail. It is viewed as intrusive and annoying, and can be declined by the recipient anyway.
• Make sure your name is displayed properly in the “From” field.
• Include addresses in the “To” field from those who you would like a response from.
• Include addresses in the “Cc” (carbon copy) field for those who just need to be kept in the loop.
• Only use Cc when it is important for those you copy to know about the contents of the e-mail. Overuse can cause people to ignore your e-mails.
• Remove addresses from the “To”, “CC” and “BCc” fields that do not need to see your reply.
• Always include a brief subject. No subject can get your e-mail flagged as spam.
• Be sure the “subject” field accurately reflects the content of your e-mail. Feel free to modify the Subject: field to more accurately reflect a conversation's direction.
  

Think before forwarding e-mails

• If any e-mail states to forward it all your friends, or just 5 people -- do everyone a favour: hit delete
• Don't forward e-mails that say to do so. Regardless of how noble the cause appears to be, most are hoaxes. Don't just forward it without investigating its authenticity at www.snopes.com
• When forwarding e-mail, if you cannot take the time to type a personal comment to the person you are forwarding to--then don't bother.
• Don't mass e-mail people who didn't ask to be on your personal "mailing list".
• If you forward an e-mail that turns out to be a hoax, have the maturity to send an apology follow up e-mail to those you sent the misinformation to.
  

Sending attachments

• Learn how to resample or resize graphics to about 600 pixels in width before attaching them to an e-mail. This will greatly reduce download time.
• It is better to spread multiple attachments over several e-mails rather than attaching them all to one e-mail to avoid clogging the pipeline.

When it comes to good manners, learn the basics of etiquette early. It will make your life a lot easier. In an ever-changing world, you will confidently fit in anywhere.

Useful links:

• Check out Judith Kallos’ e-mail etiquette website, books and free Tools @ This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
• To brush up on the etiquette for basically anything ranging from business and e-mail to dating and tipping etiquette, visit 123etiquette.com
• Find out if you are a netizen or newbie by taking the Netmanners.com netiquette quiz.