Saturday, March 29, 2014

Netiquette IQ - A Comprehensive Guide to Improve, Enhance and Add Power to Your Email



Most of the visitors to this blog are aware that I have publised a book, the cover of which is above. It has enjoyed great reviews and feedback:

 www.amazon.com/author/paulbabicki

 Kirkus Reviews

So I wanted to share with you some of the true benefits of the book which will serve to improve your Netiquette and give you more successes in your communication goals! No matter what your primary objectives are for your email, job-related, business, sales, marketing or many others, this book will provide both immediate and long-term demonstrable results. By the way, much of the information in this blog comes from the book and/or research behind it. For those who purchase it, I truly believe it will be a value for a long time to come.

Also, look for future publications later this year.
========================================
Great Reasons for Purchasing Netiquette IQ
·         Get more email opens.  Improve 100% or more.
·         Receive more responses, interviews, appointments, prospects and sales.
·         Be better understood.
·         Eliminate indecision.
·         Avoid being spammed 100% or more.
·         Have recipient finish reading your email content. 
·         Save time by reducing questions.
·         Increase your level of clarity.
·         Improve you time management with your email.
·        Have quick access to a wealth of relevant email information.
Enjoy most of what you need for email in a single book.
===========================================
In addition to this blog, I have authored the premiere book on Netiquette, " Netiquette IQ - A Comprehensive Guide to Improve, Enhance and Add Power to Your Email". You can view my profile, reviews of the book and content excerpts at:

 www.amazon.com/author/paulbabicki


 If you would like to listen to experts in all aspects of Netiquette and communication, try my radio show on BlogtalkRadio  and an online newsletter via paper.li.I have established Netiquette discussion groups with Linkedin and  Yahoo I am also a member of the International Business Etiquette and Protocol Group and Minding Manners among others. I regularly consult for the Gerson Lehrman Group, a worldwide network of subject matter experts and I have been contributing to the blogs Everything Email and emailmonday . My work has appeared in numerous publications and I have presented to groups such as The Breakfast Club of NJ Rider University and  PSG of Mercer County, NJ.























Netiquette Quote of The Day - The Ultimate Brevity - Via Netiquette IQ


My last post dealt with email and brevity, it only seemed appropriate to cite the most famous of all brevity quotations from Shakespeare

From Shakespeare's Hamlet, 1602:
LORD POLONIUS
This business is well ended.
My liege, and madam, to expostulate
What majesty should be, what duty is,
Why day is day, night night, and time is time,
Were nothing but to waste night, day and time.
Therefore, since brevity is the soul of wit,
And tediousness the limbs and outward flourishes,
I will be brief: your noble son is mad:
Mad call I it; for, to define true madness,
What is't but to be nothing else but mad?
But let that go.
===========================================
In addition to this blog, I have authored the premiere book on Netiquette, " Netiquette IQ - A Comprehensive Guide to Improve, Enhance and Add Power to Your Email". You can view my profile, reviews of the book and content excerpts at:

 www.amazon.com/author/paulbabicki


 If you would like to listen to experts in all aspects of Netiquette and communication, try my radio show on BlogtalkRadio  and an online newsletter via paper.li.I have established Netiquette discussion groups with Linkedin and  Yahoo I am also a member of the International Business Etiquette and Protocol Group and Minding Manners among others. I regularly consult for the Gerson Lehrman Group, a worldwide network of subject matter experts and I have been contributing to the blogs Everything Email and emailmonday . My work has appeared in numerous publications and I have presented to groups such as The Breakfast Club of NJ and  PSG of Mercer County, NJ.

Friday, March 28, 2014

Netiquette and Brevity - Via Netiquette IQ



With email, there are times when less is more. It is now well-known that there is very little patience with messages in general. Also there is the old rule of "too much information" which can take a good email in its beginning to a mediocre one at the end! In my opinion, once a point is made, it is best to sign off. There is always another opportunity to send an additional email. However, as always, use good Netiquette and good judgement for what will work best to make your email a special one! The article below has a number of great points. Please incorporate them into your Netiquette processes.
=======================================

Brevity is the soul of email
Sometimes you can communicate more by typing less -- or less often. These tips will help you recoup work time you've been losing to the email monster.

March 20, 2014 12:23 PM PDT
Ed Rhee/CNET

You don't have time to sort through the hundreds of expert opinions on how to rein in a runaway inbox. That's why I did the sorting for you.
As I worked my way through about a dozen of these strategies for boosting email productivity, a theme arose: Keep it brief.
In that spirit and without further delay, here are the top suggestions of productivity gurus for avoiding email time sinks.
Don't let your inbox set your schedule
I'm one of those people who visits his inbox before I have my coffee or open a newspaper in the morning (remember newspapers?). That's why the first tip offered by Audrey Thomas of OrganizedAudrey.com, threw me for a loop, Wait an hour into your workday before you check your email.
Since many of us communicate with people far outside our time zone, this suggestion will be difficult to follow. However, the last of Audrey's 10 tips is one I heartily endorse (with one qualification): Turn off all email notifications. After all, who's the boss, you or your inbox?
The qualification is that you may want to set up alerts for mail you receive from people who might actually send you an urgent message. In that case, you can either create a rule that alerts you via text message when you receive mail from that person (I'll explain this process in a future post), or use a service such as AwayFind.
I described how to use AwayFind in a post from November 2012 entitled "How to silence notifications on smartphones and tablets" (scroll to the bottom of the post for information about the app). AwayFind costs $5 a month for one email account and $15 a month for up to five accounts; both the Personal and Pro accounts come with free 30-day trials.
Five-sentence rule saves your time and theirs
Just as there are people who love the sound of their own voice, many of us believe the recipients of our messages find our email prose riveting. Not so. Entrepreneur's Stephanie Vozza calls the five-sentence email rule a "productivity lifesaver."
Vozza recommends putting a postscript at the bottom of your messages that reads "To save your time and mine, I'm limiting all my responses to five sentences or fewer." In fact, the five-sentence rule doesn't apply only to responses. Vozza quotes serial entrepreneur Guy Kawasaki: "Less than five sentences is often abrupt and rude, more than five sentences wastes time."
Kawasaki believes emails should answer five questions: who you are, what you want, why you're asking, why the recipient should do what you're asking, and what the next step is. The only exception to the five-sentence rule is when you're praising someone. Then Kawasaki suggests that you "go on as long as you like."
TLAs can be RTSs (real time savers)
One of the best ways to get your message across in less time is to encapsulate it in the subject line with TLAs (three-letter acronyms). Inc.'s Les McKeown "dissects" the email subject line in "Key to email productivity? Better subject lines."
When a two- or three-word reply will suffice, or simply to acknowledge receipt of a message, you can answer without the original message and start the subject line with "Got it; will do (eom)" to indicate the recipient needn't open the message. In addition to "eom" (end of message), McKeown suggests several other subject-line TLAs: NRR (no reply required), Y/N (yes/no question), RB[T] (reply by a set time/date), AB[T] (action by a set time/date), and PYR (per your request), which to me seems too obvious, and perhaps even a little snarky.
To file or not to file?
Many email-productivity experts insist that you make sure your inbox is empty at the end of each workday. I take the opposite approach: my inbox is my searchable message archive. However, I readily acknowledge the benefits of an organized mail-storage system.
The key to such a system is to create folders into which you place messages based on various criteria. Medium.com's George Kao has devised a seven-category email system that he claims accommodates all the messages you're likely to receive.
From a productivity standpoint, the most important of Kao's seven categories is the first: No need to reply or read, which to me equals "delete." The other categories are file away, optional response, optional reading, required response today, required response later, and follow up. Kao points out that some of these categories will require subcategories.
If seven categories of mail are too many for you, Forbes' Susan Adams recommends the "three-flavored" mail-management approachof productivity expert Mark Hurst: irrelevant, relevant but not actionable, and actionable.
In the first category are spam and "reply-all" messages, which Hurst says you should delete immediately. Mail in the second category should be archived, according to Hurst. This leaves only the messages that Hurst refers to as "work," which he recommends you move into a "to-do" folder.
Years ago, an experienced office manager told me that the key to paper file management was to handle each file as few times as necessary, and preferably only once. Moving your mail out of your inbox and into a folder that you'll access later adds one step to your mail management. But if an empty inbox is your goal, Hurst's system is about as simple and straightforward as they get.
Another Forbes article published this week and written by Cathie Ericson offers 5 Ways to Take Control of Your Email Inbox. Ericson quotes Marsha Egan of InboxDetox.comas recommending that you check your email only three times each day: first thing in the morning, after lunch, and near the end of your workday. If necessary, Egan says, you can add mid-morning and mid-afternoon email checks.
Egan also recommends that you avoid opening your mail app when you're "on the run" because you want to wait until you'll have the time to respond deliberately. In addition, she warns against perusing your inbox just before bedtime because looking into a bright monitor can keep you from falling asleep quickly.
Think before you reply, or don't reply at all
Several of the email experts warn against replying to messages right away if you don't need to. As Medium.com's George Kao points out, "distance creates perspective."
Also consider that for some messages, email may not be the most effective medium. When you find yourself bumping up against the five-sentence rule, it might be time to pick up the phone or, if the person is nearby, stop by in person to deliver your message. Conversely, a text message may be best for short notes that need to be read or responded to right away.
While it doesn't relate directly to productivity, another tip repeated by email mavens is to keep the tone of your message "positive and friendly." As with all electronic communications, irony and other attempts at humor often fall flat without the appropriate voice inflection or in-person gestures and expressions. That's another reason to think about picking up the phone. 
===========================================
In addition to this blog, I have authored the premiere book on Netiquette, " Netiquette IQ - A Comprehensive Guide to Improve, Enhance and Add Power to Your Email". You can view my profile, reviews of the book and content excerpts at:

 www.amazon.com/author/paulbabicki


 If you would like to listen to experts in all aspects of Netiquette and communication, try my radio show on BlogtalkRadio  and an online newsletter via paper.li.I have established Netiquette discussion groups with Linkedin and  Yahoo I am also a member of the International Business Etiquette and Protocol Group and Minding Manners among others. I regularly consult for the Gerson Lehrman Group, a worldwide network of subject matter experts and I have been contributing to the blogs Everything Email and emailmonday . My work has appeared in numerous publications and I have presented to groups such as The Breakfast Club of NJ and  PSG of Mercer County, NJ

Netiquette Quote of The Day - Via Netiquette IQ


There is so much infromation to be derived from the Internet that it sometimes does indeed feel as this quotation says!

"Getting information off the Internet is like taking a drink from a fire hydrant."
- Mitchell Kapor
 
  
===========================================
In addition to this blog, I have authored the premiere book on Netiquette, " Netiquette IQ - A Comprehensive Guide to Improve, Enhance and Add Power to Your Email". You can view my profile, reviews of the book and content excerpts at:

 www.amazon.com/author/paulbabicki


 If you would like to listen to experts in all aspects of Netiquette and communication, try my radio show on BlogtalkRadio  and an online newsletter via paper.li.I have established Netiquette discussion groups with Linkedin and  Yahoo I am also a member of the International Business Etiquette and Protocol Group and Minding Manners among others. I regularly consult for the Gerson Lehrman Group, a worldwide network of subject matter experts and I have been contributing to the blogs Everything Email and emailmonday . My work has appeared in numerous publications and I have presented to groups such as The Breakfast Club of NJ and  PSG of Mercer County, NJ.

Jobseekers Dont' Miss It! - Netiquette IQ and Tabula Rosa New Radio Podcast



Gigamon's intelligent Traffic Visibility solutions, Netiquette essentials for job seekers and an interview with Frank Kovacs, founder of the Breakfast Club of New Jersey

Products, Blogs and Speakers

Each week we will highlight one of our products, share a Netiquette IQ Blog and direct you to our BlogTalkRadio program which airs on Saturday's at Noon, EST.

Tabula Rosa Systems (TRS) is dedicated to providing Best of Breed Technology and Best of Class Professional Services to our Clients.  TRS offers product design, implementation and support services on all products that we represent. Additionally, TRS provides expertise in Network AnalysiseBusiness, Application ProfilingePolicy and eBusiness Troubleshooting.

Visibility Fabric Architecture

An Innovative Approach
The Gigamon® Visibility Fabric™ architecture is an innovative solution that delivers pervasive and dynamic traffic visibility from across the physical and virtual network environments to centralized tools that manage, analyze and secure the network. This new approach can extend the network reach of the tools to significantly improve return on investment, allows IT organizations to more efficiently manage and secure their network, and provides a solution that can quickly evolve and scale as network needs change.



For more information, call Tabula Rosa Systems at 609-818-1802, or email sales@tabularosa.net.
 


Ten Netiquette essentials for job seekers 

  1.  Be mindful of core Netiquette and email etiquette practices.
  2. Keywords, keywords and more keywords.
  3. Note specific accomplishments rather than day to day tasks.
  4. Include links to positive on-line presence.
  5. Provide a section for additional accomplishments, not “references available.”
  6. Make use of all available tools for creating, editing and validating.
  7. Omit personal opinions.
  8. Eliminate overused phrases such as “Basic Objectives” or “Career Goals.”
  9. Embrace polite persistence and include processes for follow-up and maintain a consistent tone.
  10. Research the competition – how can you beat them?


Upcoming Events on
BlogTalkRadio
,
Saturdays at Noon (EST)


3/29 (Noon) EST
Frank Kovacs
The inspiration behind Your Career Is Calling radio program from Rider University and a Cloud Computing Senior Manager. Frank is the founder of The Breakfast Club of New Jersey, a group that promotes social networking, career growth and assists people in career or job transition.

4/5 (Noon) EST
John Genovese
A leading expert on cross-channel marketing communication for individuals who need responses to excel their professional brands, businesses and careers.

4/12 (Noon) EST
Dr. Mary Bold
Accreditation specialist and Chief Education Officer at  Accreditrust, a company that offers curation and validation services for digital credentials.
Copyright © 2014 Tabula Rosa Systems, All rights reserved.
You are receiving this email because you are a Tabula Rosa Systems contact.

Our mailing address is:
Tabula Rosa Systems
17 Cedar Lane
Titusville, NJ 08560
===========================================
In addition to this blog, I have authored the premiere book on Netiquette, " Netiquette IQ - A Comprehensive Guide to Improve, Enhance and Add Power to Your Email". You can view my profile, reviews of the book and content excerpts at:

 www.amazon.com/author/paulbabicki


 If you would like to listen to experts in all aspects of Netiquette and communication, try my radio show on BlogtalkRadio  and an online newsletter via paper.li.I have established Netiquette discussion groups with Linkedin and  Yahoo I am also a member of the International Business Etiquette and Protocol Group and Minding Manners among others. I regularly consult for the Gerson Lehrman Group, a worldwide network of subject matter experts and I have been contributing to the blogs Everything Email and emailmonday . My work has appeared in numerous publications and I have presented to groups such as The Breakfast Club of NJ and  PSG of Mercer County, NJ.