What are common email courtesies you can follow?
Writing your email:
- NEVER type in all capitals: it’s the same thing as screaming!
- One- or two-word emails are seldom necessary. Responses such as “Thanks” or “Bye” are polite in conversation, but they are not necessary in emails.
- Always edit forwarded messages. Make sure that it is appropriate for the person to whom you are sending the message and doesn’t get the original sender in trouble! Also, cut out any information that isn’t necessary to the message.
Addressing your email:
- Do not attach read or delivery receipts to all of your emails.
- Be careful before you send your email to ‘reply all.’
- If you are sending an email for information only, put that person’s name in the ‘Cc’ field.
Use Bcc thoughtfully:
- In rare cases when you do not wish the other recipients to know to whom you have copied the message. Be very careful about this.
- When you are forwarding a message to more than one person but don’t want to expose the names and email addresses of everyone to whom you are sending the message.
