Netiquette, or email etiquette, is about the manners we use on the Internet. Cyberspace has its own culture and has developed its own rules. Without knowing network etiquette, you might make some social mistakes or unintentionally offend someone.
The rules of netiquette are based on common sense and respect, but since email is so fast, we often forget that we are still using a written form of communication.
Netiquette or email etiquette The 10 best rules are:
1. Imagine your message on a billboard. Anything you send can be forwarded, saved, and printed by people it was never intended for. Never submit anything that reflects negatively on you or anyone else.
2. Remember that company emails are the property of the company. Emails sent from your workplace can be monitored by people other than the sender and reader, and are technically the property of the company.
3. Avoid offensive comments. Anything obscene, libelous, offensive or racist does not belong in a company email, even as a joke.
4. Keep your message fresh. Email messages can be easily misunderstood because we don’t have the tone of voice or body language that gives us the most clues. The use of multiple points of explanation, emoticons, and capitalized words can be interpreted as emotional language.
5. Be careful about forwarding messages. If you’re not sure whether the original sender would want to forward the message, don’t.
6. Don’t expect an immediate response. Email messages can be delivered quickly, but your recipient may not read them right away.
7. Don’t sacrifice accuracy for efficiency. Don’t send sloppy, unedited emails. Experts say that for every grammatical error in an email, there are an average of three spelling errors. While the odd misspelling is overlooked, when your readers have to break off communication to decipher a word or message, you’ll come across as sloppy, if not illiterate, at best. In the worst case, they can stop reading.
8. Include the message thread. Save the original message for a record of your conversation. However, when you send a new message to the same person, start a new thread with a new subject line.
9. Do not type in all CAPITAL LETTERS. It is perceived as SCREAMING. However, don’t write only in lowercase letters, as this is perceived as lazy, as it makes it more difficult for people to read.
10. Write messages that are clear, organized, with a subject that gives enough information for the reader to file and find later.
I encourage you to use these network etiquette rules and tips when sending email.