Use Appropriate
Salutations
When used well,
salutations are an effective way to set the atmosphere of the letter.
Think of it as a handshake, another way to greet your reader. It allows
the reader to get into the right frame of mind, preparing him for
your message.
Choose your salutations
wisely; starting off a letter with a simple "Hello" is very
different from a more casual "Hi there," or a downright
comfortable "Howdy." Including the reader's name in the
salutation lets him know that you've written the message specifically
for him.
RETURN TO TOP
Make the Subject Matter Matter
Your e-mail's
Subject Heading is one of the first things that your reader will see.
Oftentimes, and especially during sorting, it's the only way you can
distinguish one letter from the next. Make it count. We all know that
your letter contains "stuff" that you've written-putting
"Stuff" as the Subject Heading is just as useless as not
putting anything at all.
And when it comes
to back-and-forth messages with the same subject matter, it's easier
to keep track of things if you alter the Subject Heading to match
the current phase of conversation. Here's a series of sample Subject
Headings:
(Original message) Subject: King Arthur
(1st Reply) Subject: King Arthur
(2nd Reply) Subject: King Arthur
(3rd Reply) Subject: King Arthur
(4th Reply) Subject: King Arthur
Notice that since
the Subject Headings don't change with each subsequent reply, you
have no idea how the conversation is evolving, or what is being discussed
other than King Arthur. Now try this:
(Original message) Subject: King Arthur
(1st Reply) Subject: Sir Parsival
(2nd Reply) Subject: Parsival's a ninny
(3rd Reply) Subject: What about Guinevere?
(4th Reply) Subject: Get her to a nunnery
Just from reading
the Subject Headings, you can now get an idea where the conversation
is going.
RETURN TO TOP
Keep a Dictionary Handy
First of all,
it's just good practice. Secondly, you'll be more confident when "experimenting"
with new words and phrases. As long as you verify that what you're
writing is spelled correctly and is used in the proper context, you'll
naturally increase your wordpower and further enhance your own writing
style. And this will, in turn, make your letters more enjoyable to
read, and easier to understand.
Note: From my
experience, the most subtle (and polite) way of letting someone know
of their misspellings is to simply reply with the word(s) correctly
spelled - no need to call it out, just let your reader notice his
own error. In turn, pay attention when your own misspellings are corrected
-- don't worry, it happens to everyone.
RETURN TO TOP
Insert "Breaths"
of Empty Space
It is very hard
to focus on one thing when all of your thoughts and ideas and lunch
plans and computer questions and computer answers and universally
cosmic ponderings are crammed together into one paragraph that never
breaks and you just keep going without inserting periods or commas
or line spaces and just because this is how you yourself are thinking
and you are completely lost in your train of thought does not mean
that someone else is going to understand any of it and you should
not expect them to so pay attention to how good stories are written
especially when there is dialogue going on notice that there is a
new line every time someone else new is talking or a new idea is introduced
and try to separate Web addresses with blank lines or you'll wind
up with something like hey dude check these sites out go here www.idjit.com
www.goofus.com www.dorkwad.com and then everybody will be totally
confused and will wind up not reading any of it.
RETURN TO TOP
No Matter What
They Say, Smiley Faces Work
Some call them
emoticons, some call them smiley faces. And they're great when you
really want to let your reader know what you're feeling, or how you'd
like your reader to feel, and you just don't have the words nor the
time to say so.
They're most appropriately
used in casual e-mail, and most effective when used sparingly. I myself
use them when I want to let the reader know that everything's okay,
don't worry about it. Just as it's hard not to smile back when someone
is smiling at you, the same goes for smiley faces.
:-)
See what I mean?
RETURN TO TOP
When in Doubt, Preface
There's nothing
worse than a misunderstood letter-everybody gets mad for no reason.
I've found that this happens most often within personal criticisms,
when even a well-intentioned comment, when phrased incorrectly, sounds
harsh and condescending.
One way to avoid
this is to begin your e-mail with why you are writing what you are
writing, and how you have come to your conclusions. Then proceed with
your comment. Emphasize that this is just your opinion, and that you
could be wrong.
You are
wrong, sometimes, aren't you?
RETURN TO TOP
Include Previous
Message
Some folks get
dozens and dozens of e-mail a day, and chances are you're not the
only one they're having a discussion with. To prevent misunderstanding,
you should include all or at least part of the original message along
with your reply, or at least reiterate the topic somewhere in your
reply letter.
Imagine trying
to figure out this e-mail:
Reiterating the
original topic will help your reader know what you're talking about:
Hey Carl, the barbecue this Saturday
at 2pm sounds good. See you then.
If the original
message is rather long, include it after your reply, using dashes
or underlines to visually separate your reply from the original message.
To help you out, most e-mail programs automatically include arrows
or other markers to distinguish your reply from the original message.
RETURN TO TOP
Compress Those
File Attachments
To minimize download
time, it's a good idea to compress any file that's over 100k in size,
using programs like WinZip and PKZip. If you have to send multiple
files and directories, compress all of them into one attached file.
Also, make sure that you name your compressed file specifically, not
some arbitrary name like:
If you need to
send a really large file, you may want to e-mail your recipient ahead
of time, letting him know what time you'll be sending it over. If
possible, send large files during off-peak hours, or during lunch,
when computers aren't being used.
RETURN TO TOP
Reread Before
Pushing That "Send" Button
There's no greater
finality than that split-second moment when your letter leaves your
computer and enters the point of total commitment. Unlike sending
surface mail, you don't even have time to address the envelope, lick
it shut, put a stamp on it, go to the post office and drop it into
the mailbox. Maybe if we had to use cyberstamps, we'd be more careful
about what we send (not that I'm proposing cyberstamps, oh no...)
Have you also
found yourself sending a follow-up letter, because you weren't really
finished with your original thoughts, or you've suddenly gained a
bit more sanity and would like to take some of those first words back?
The problem with sending follow-ups, especially when the subject matter
is the same, is that your reader may think you're just being redundant,
and will not pay attention to the subsequent letters. Or your reader
may be put off so much by your original letter that any of your following
letters will not be read at all.
One way to avoid
these moments of haste is to queue up your message to be sent at a
later time. This will give you enough time to mull over what you've
written, and rewrite it if necessary. And if, after taking all precautions,
you still accidentally send something you didn't want to, write the
words READ THIS FIRST! as the Subject Heading on your "real"
letter, send that off, and pray that your reader hasn't already read
the first one.
RETURN TO TOP
Be Polite,
and Reciprocate Good Deeds
The Internet is
full of good people willing to help others, and they all deserve at
least a "thank you" once in a while. And you'd be surprised
at how well your favors will be answered if you include a "please"
and thank the person ahead of time.
In turn, you should
also offer to help others out with whatever answers you can provide.
Some common acronyms
of politeness:
TIA = Thanks In Advance
IMHO = In My Humble Opinion
HTH = Hope This Helps
RETURN TO TOP
Anticipate, Empathize, Understand
Regardless of
rules of writing, of misspellings or protocol, here are some basics
that we should at least consider:
Anticipate what
questions your reader might want answered, and what messages your
reader might infer from your letter. Write specifically so that your
reader understands. Your writing style may change depending on your
intended reader, and that's okay.
Empathize with
your reader-he or she may be having a bad day or simply didn't understand
what you were trying to communicate. Ask yourself, "If I were
the other person, what part of this letter might have confused me?"
If necessary, repeat your original message with a more specific explanation.
And understand
that not everyone will be able to respond to your letters immediately,
not everyone will write positive remarks all the time, and not everyone
will be in the same exact mood as you when you send off that letter.
And when all else
fails, you can always use the telephone.
RETURN TO TOP
