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 You've likely had an email misunderstood, or misunderstood
one yourself. Maybe you've clicked Send and wish you hadn't.
Before email there were prototypes of email. As one of the
"Ancient Ones" I have personal experience with them. They
were all trying to establish some type of etiquette, throw down some rules,
on how email should be done.It didn't work, and there is no etiquette for
email. However, let me share some thoughts with you that may be of
interest.
1) Anything you say can and will be used against you, and
maybe in a court of law. Reply with all the messages included and file your
emails away so you have an audit trail. If a question arises, or something
is taken out of context, you can refer to the actual dialogue.
2) CCing someone on an email to their Boss bashing them
should get you roughed up in the parking lot. Don't even try to say you're
being honest by letting them read what you're writing to the boss,
it doesn't fool anyone, not even your Boss.
3) CCing someone's Boss on an email bashing them should get
you roughed up in the parking lot by the Boss. email "Outing"
is bad.
4) Read twice, answer once.
5) The Reply All button should be protected by
Thug-Gansta's. The only time you can use Reply All is to
agree on patronizing praise heaped upon some pet-derelect-flunkie who
accidentaly didn't hose up a project. Do you really want everyone to
know you're a self-promoting suck-up? "Oh no, Kudos to you
Paulette!"* Do you want the Sender, usually the Boss, to
think you're stupid enough to actually believe the false praise?
6) Forwarding an email with any addresses other
than yours should get you roughed up in the parking lot by each
person you gave up. There's blogging and MyFace for that
type of public forum.
7) BCC is cowardice. The person BCC'd should rough you up in
the parking lot and inform the Recipient. One CIO, and a damn good
guy**, actually printed BCC emails, wrote questions on them, and left
them on the Recipient's desk.Sweet justice on BCCers.
8) The Recipient of an email with a BCC, having been
informed by the BCC, should rough you up in the parking lot once
you've healed from the first beating.
9) Emoticons are fine. If you're a tween-age girl using
Hotmail. ;) Otherwise no. :(
10) Redundant exclaimation points or question marks, bolding,
colorizing and upper case emphacizing are also reserved for
tween-age girls. SERIOUSLY!!!!!
11) Know when to Send. My problem is that I work late into
the night and like to get emails sent for people to open in the morning.
Then, without my knowledge, they buy a Blackberry and start answering me at
1AM. I don't mind, I'm up, but I feel bad waking them.
12) Delivery Options are good and bad. If you're up at
midnight Sunday and think to remind someone that you're meeting for
lunch on Monday, by all means use Delivery Options and schedule an
email to go Monday morning. If you schedule an email to go at 3AM trying to
fool someone into thinking you're working on their stuff
you deserve a phone call from the Blackberry owner you've
awakened, and should be roughed up in the parking lot.
13) Draft and Delivery Options can save your bacon.
email can tempt you into bad behavior. Somehow people feel
there's distance and anonymity in emailing and say things they wouldn't say
in person. Save a Draft of your angry rant or schedule it to be sent the
next day, give yourself a cooling off period, so you don't get roughed up
in the parking lot.
email unto others as you would have them email unto you, or
be careful in the parking lot, that's your call, and that's Cocktail
Talk.
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