E-mail for careerists: Care enough to send the very best

With Ann Humphries, ETICON

(CNN) -- You'd give your right arm to get off some buddy's insane, time-wasting joke e-mail list. But what program do you use to attach your right arm?

And dueling thank-you e-mail. Maybe because it's so fast to put together and send, it can lock you into a lot of who-can-be-nicer fights.

"Thanks, type to you later."

"OK, thanks and have a good day."

"Thanks, you too."

"Thx, I will.."

"Later."

"C ya."

Then there are the "emoticon" freaks. You've probably seen enough of their punctuation nonsense to feel like this: :-()

(That one, according to "Slang" author Paul Dickson, means "I'm about to throw up.")

And those "Reply All" jerks: Why does a part-time shipping clerk think the entire corporation wants to read his response to the memo about Family Bowling Night to benefit the Frog Conservation Consortium?

We asked Ann Humphries, etiquette specialist and president of ETICON, Inc, about such pressing issues of "e-mailia."

And by the way: We asked her on the phone, not by e-mail.

CNN: Ann, short of blindly stabbing at the delete key, what's the right way to handle e-mail?

Ann Humphries: First, the basics.

•  E-mail is a legitimate and wonderful means of communication.

•  But remember that it's not private. It's traceable.

•  It's written communication. So a salutation or greeting is important. Even in bulk or broadcast e-mail, you can say, "Good morning," or use some other greeting. Blunt is not businesslike. That idea is mere justification for curtness.

•  Use good grammar, complete sentences, upper- and lowercase format, no excessive punctuation.

•  Limit the "emoticons." :-p They're fine for high school and college students sending messages to their little friends. :-? But in business, no. :-{

•  Watch your tone. Make your e-mail as concise as possible. Concise is different from blunt. Not cryptic, just not wordy.

•  Use a nice line at the end. "How's your weather?" Something pleasant.

WHERE ARE YOUR MANNERS?
	Let us know what issues of business etiquette you'd like to see addressed in Corporate Class. Kindly click here.

•  Update the subject line every time you send. Don't reply and forward endless versions of the same subject (RE: RE: RE: or FW: FW: FW:).

•  As for the joke lists, I've asked to be taken off them. Three times, as a matter of fact. "Could you put me on your once-a-month list?" "I don't have a once-a-month list." "Well, then, I guess I need to ask you to just take me off the list completely."

Now, this is when you're past the overlooking period. You overlook it for a while. Then you have to say something. I have a friend who says, "Tell your truth." Tell them you need to get to your work and the jokes are getting in the way. If you can't be quite so straightforward, try telling them you need to catch up on the jokes they've already sent.

•  Update lists of people you send things to regularly. Be sure your list is always valid.

•  As for the dueling thank-you e-mails, sometimes you just have to let the other person have the last word. You can be part of the solution by shutting up.

•  And when it comes to the Reply All problem, this is often a question of not being aware enough of the software. A lot of people don't know the difference in "Reply to Sender" and "Reply All." This is why good orientation is so important. These things should be covered in an informal "let us clue you in" session, a sort of "here's the deal" approach. Here's the deal: Don't send your answer to the boss to everybody.

Ann Humphries, founder and president of ETICON Inc. and a Certified Professional Consultant to Management (CPCM), includes several Fortune 500 companies among her clients. She's been featured in the Wall Street Journal, Fortune and Money, and on CNN, CBS and Lifetime TV. You can contact her at www.eticon.com

Mind your e-mail manners
June 13, 2000
How to write an effective e-mail message
May 12, 1999
Security tip: Postmark your e-mail
May 1, 2000

ETICON Inc.

Note: Pages will open in a new browser window

External sites are not endorsed by CNN Interactive.