FIve (or ten) of the most difficult things to avoid doing in email

Most advice on email Netiquette, including this blog at times, focuses on things which are most apparent. This includes grammar, punctuation, spelling, etc.

It has been stated previously in this blog and addressed more thoroughly in my forthcoming book, "NetiquetteIQ - A Comprehensive Guide to Improve, Enhance and Add Power to Your Email" that much of good Netiquette involves establishing good habits and processes. There are many more subtle items which you should be mindful of to assist you in having advanced email skills.

The following are five items which many senders, even those with high Netiquette skills, find difficulty in doing or often overlook. Here are a first round of five, in no predetermined order.

1. Using I to begin an email, paragraph or overusing this pronoun in a message

2. Utilizing too many incomplete or shortened sentences

3. Inavertently having imperatives or requests which can be misunderstood as commands

4. Presuming shortened names are appropriate

5. Giving complete dates, including day, date and month


Try this simple exercise!

To see if you are prone or tend to overlook the above five items, do the following. Take the next ten or twenty emails of more than three or four paragraphs which you compose and scan them for the items mentioned. Look for items such as let's, you must (as commands) or a shortened date. Some of the others are more obvious. Some senders, myself included, will find that not using I to begin an email or paragraph can be a challange.

If you do find you have made some of these mistakes, correct them and read the message back. Odds are, an improvement in the overall tone will be noticed.

The next blog will have another five " difficult things to avoid".

Once again, all comments and suggestions are welcome.

Please check our website www.netiquetteiq.com regularly for the release of my book and our email testing product. The site is currently under contruction.

Here's to good email writing!

Paul Babicki
paul@netiquetteIQ.com

Beuatiful words to use in email

Published by Paul Babicki
Netiquette IQ


Some of my earlier blogs have dealt with torpedo words which can often have an immediate negative effect on the recipient. Similarly, a good choice of certain words, selectively used, can evoke a range of better received reactions by a sendee. So much of an email is subtle that any positive item can make a difference.

It is well to keep in mind that certain positive, strong or beautiful words each can be best placed in personal, professional or specific email related to other categories. This specific discussion would take much more time and space to be completely addressed in a single blog.

Try a simple test in your next few emails.

The next few times you compose a medium sized email, before you send each of them respectively, save them first. Go to the list below and see if there is a synonym for a word or two and try substituting it. Read it back and see if it sounds better. If this works, start your own list and incorporate it. Hopefully, within a short time, your emails will improve.

If any reader has some suggested words to append to this list, kindly do post them. Here is the list.

abundance/abundant	felicity
accomplished	flexible
accuracy	fluidity
adaptability	generous
admirable	genuine
adroit	graceful
agile	gracious
affirmative	harmonious
attainable	imbue
auspicious	independence
balanced	innovative
brilliance	iridescent
clarity	judicious
coalesce	laudatory
compelling	lithe
confidence	loyalty
conflate	magnificent
consistent	meaningful
cornerstone	melodious
creative	perceptive
dazzling	plentiful
decisive	praiseworthy
dedicated	precision
devoted	proven
dexterous	purity
earnest	quality
effervescent	quintessential
elegant	reliable
encompass	resilience
enduring	resonant
energy	resounding
envision	sound
epiphany	stalwart
epitome	surpass
equilibrium	tasteful
esteemed	transcend
etiquette	transformative
evocative	unfailing
exuberant	worthiness
faithful	zenith
far-reaching

Happy emailing and good Netiquette!
Author Page for Paul Babicki
www.netiquetteIQ.com
www.Tabularosa.net

The eternal email meeting

 

 The eternal email meeting

        Email and the lack of Netiquette have spawned a new category of appointment, "TEEM" (the eternal email meeting).  Since email allows indefinite last minute changes and postponements, many people push out meetings time after time often for weeks or months.  As can be expected, a significant amount of these end up not occurring at all.  This can be frustrating to either or both/all of the attendees.  Good Netiquette might have prevented a host of these "Teems" and together with them, a loss of time, strain on relationships, damaging reputations and instilling possible frustration and resentment.  It is in keeping with proper Netiquette that when an appointment, meeting or event is committed to in writing that a best effort be made to accommodate such. 

        Some individuals do not know how to or have a difficult time saying no to a request to meet.  Others may have ambivalence about meeting and defer to postponing an appointment multiple times.  Of course, many times having to change is necessary or appropriate.  Here are some good basic Netiquette rules to apply:

1.   If it is not desired or necessary to have a meeting, session or conversation (such as solicitation for a service, simply say no and, if warranted, state clearly that the meeting is not desired.

2.   Also provide a time frame in keeping with the circumstances.  Be specific whether it is never, in a week or longer.  If possible, schedule the meeting or event immediately.  If this is not possible, specify when the next contact should be and who should initiate it.  If these details are left without a resolution or commitment, it is likely confusion or unnecessary actions will result in probable time being wasted.

3.   If an appointment needs to be moved, notify the appropriate parties.  Good Netiquette behavior requires a brief apology and explanation.  Usually it is not necessary to elaborate upon what specifics are involved.

4.   Know the difference between postpone and cancel.  Many people do not clearly specify if an event or meeting is meant to be postponed or cancelled altogether.  This would mean that a rescheduling is not planned.  Either way an explanation and regrets should be stated.

5.   Confirmations. When an invitation is sent out or offered, request a reasonably prompt reply.  If the process is automated, reply as quickly as possible.  Should a tentative acceptance be necessary, state when a definitive response will be provided.  When an invitation has been proffered and no reasonable answer give, it is well within Netiquette guidelines to resend the request after a period of at least 24 hours.  When initiating a second request, do so in a polite manner without assumptions or scolding.  Rather than feeling ignored, it may very well be the case that you have been the reason by virtue of a misspelling, wrongly selected email account or an aggressive spam filter.  Regardless, it should never be assumed an invitee has received the request, opened it or had the time to read it.

6.   Reminders.  The longer the time between an invitation and an event, the easier it is to have any lapses in attending.  It is appropriate Netiquette to make sure that at least one reminder is sent between 24-48 hours of the scheduled event.  If any of the attendees are traveling, make sure all are aware of this so as not to cancel or postpone without good reason.  If you have sent at least one reminder and no not have a confirmation, it is prudent either to call or send another polite message notifying the party or parties that without cancellation, the meeting will need to be postponed (not cancelled).