Netiquette (EMail Etiquette)

There are no 'official' rules governing electronic communication.  Though there have been attempts to establish standards, there has been no common agreement. As a general rule though, Netiquette involves the same principles as plain old etiquette -- basic   courtesy, respect and ethics.

By following the principles outlined below, the recipient of your email will be more likely to read and act, if not be favorably impressed by your message:

1. The Subject line should summarize the message. Make the Subject line summarizes the body of the e-mail. Ask yourself, "will the recipient(s) know what this e-mail is about?"  For example, Instead of Subject: CI, say Subject: CI History Vietnam - Present.
   
2. Don't assume the recipient knows the background. Include enough information at the beginning of the e-mail for the recipient to know what the matter is about. If in doubt, put background information in.
   
3. Be concise. Keep messages brief and to the point, but not so brief that it causes the problem outlined in the previous point.
   
4. Don't shout. Don't use all capital letters, (UPPERCASE) or overdo punctuation!!!!!!. See the example below. This common practice is the on-line equivalent of shouting. Its considered by many to be very rude. If you must use UPPERCASE, use it very sparingly and only to emphasize a particularly important point. Ask yourself, "if I was talking to the recipient face to face, would I be raising my voice to them?"
   
5. Be nice.. Don't send or reply to email when you are angry. Take a chill pill and calm down before you reply.  Once written and sent, your email can't be recalled. Angry or intemperate email has a way of rebounding on the sender. As a guide, ask yourself, 'would I say this to the person's face?'
   
6. Correct punctuation and grammar. Use punctuation in a normal manner. One exclamation point is just as effective as five !!!!! Use correct grammar as with any written message.
   
7. Layout message for readability. Use spaces and breaks between paragraphs and long sentences to make it easier on the reader.
   
8. Keep the thread. When replying to an e-mail, use the reply option of your mail tool. This will keep the message in the "thread", and make it easier for the recipient to follow.
   
9. Allow time for a reply. E-mail messages are not usually required to be answered immediately. Before sending a reminder, allow some time for a response, some times even a few days. Not everyone is online 24 hours a day.
   
10. Spelling. Check your spelling! If you don't know how to spell something, look it up.   Most email programs have a spell-checker.  Use it.
    
11. Acronyms, abbreviations, and emoticons are OK within reason. As long as you don't overdo it, and the recipients can reasonably be expected to know what they mean, acronyms and abbreviations are OK to use in e-mail. Emoticons (for example ;-) a winking smiley face) are good when used in context. As a general rule, you probably shouldn't use them when talking to someone in authority unless you're sure .
    
12. Edit the superfluous text out of emails.. When you are sending email that has 'been around' in the sense that it has been replied to or forwarded many times, take the time to remove the angle brackets '>' from the message. Its irritating for many people to see text in such disarray. The easiest way is to copy and paste the text into a word processor, and use the search and replace function to remove any unwanted characters. The example below breaks both this rule and the one about shouting at people by using UPPERCASE:

    >> >>> >THE FOLLOWING IS TAKEN FROM A NEPALESE GOOD LUCK MANTRA. YOU'LL
    >> > >>> >FIND IT TO BE WORTH READING AND WORTH SHARING:
    >> > >>> >Do not keep this message. The mantra must leave your hands
    >> within 96
    >> > >>> >hours or you will suffer harm.

13. Chain Letters, Hoaxes and Urban Legends.. Its becoming more common, as more people use email for more varied purposes for it to be used for multilevel marketing, chain letters, hoaxes and other dubious purposes. The example above is one of the more benign examples of an implied threat as a way to motivate the recipient to take action. Another example is the letter that claims Congress is about to enact an email tax.   Most people find these email practices particularly annoying.  Do not forward mail to the list unless you can vouch for its contents.
    
14. Keep download size to a minimum. Big graphics can make e-mails take a long time to load. If you have an attached file, the recipient will often have to wait for your full message to load before they can retrieve it. Its irritating to wait many minutes for a message to load only to find out the attached page was not worth the wait.