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E-mail Etiquette

E-mail is about communication, so aim for clarity in your messages. Here are some simple guidelines for using e-mail as a communication vehicle.

1. Identify Yourself

• State your name because your e-mail address may not be clear enough.
• Keep your signature short. Limit it to your name and relevant contact information. If you want to add a quote or a tagline, make sure it’s something you’re prepared to have anyone read – anyone you send e-mail to, and anyone to whom your messages might be forwarded.
• Include alternative contact methods.
• Do not include general disclaimers, such as statements like “This e-mail is confidential and intended for the recipient only. Redistribution is prohibited.”  The confidentiality of e-mail can never be guaranteed, and you cannot enforce a disclaimer of this kind. If you are concerned about privacy, use a more secure means of communication.

2.  Subject Line

• Always include a meaningful, concise subject line.

3. The Message – Length, Content & Format

• Use appropriate and professional language in your communications.
• Do not use individual e-mail when other forms of communication would be more appropriate (such as the phone, a posting to CCNet, WebCT, etc.)
• Keep it short and to the point. If meeting on the phone or in person would be more effective, indicate this.
• When changing the topic of the message start a new e-mail message altogether.
• Typing in UPPERCASE is difficult to read and it also perceived as “yelling.”
• Keep paragraphs and sentences at a sensible length.  The longer the sentence, the harder it is to follow; dense paragraphs are also harder to read.
• Use correct grammar, spelling and punctuation. If your e-mail client has a spell check utility, turn it on.
• Be very careful about using internet abbreviations (brb, lol, ttyl, etc.) Know your audience before using any kind of slang.
• Keep the language gender neutral unless gender is specific.
• Be very cautious about sending personal information via e-mail as e-mail cannot be considered secure or confidential. You should altogether avoid sending credit card numbers, bank account information, passwords and PINs via e-mail.
• Do not forward viruses, hoaxes, or chain letters and don’t reply to spam. Ask your acquaintances not to include you in chain letters.
• Forward jokes only to those you KNOW will appreciate them.
• Do not ask to recall a message.  It’s been delivered and sent.  If you can contact the recipient(s) by phone, do so: it’s better than sending a follow-up e-mail saying “please don’t read the previous message”, because this will probably arrive too late. If you can’t phone, send another message to say that you’ve made a mistake, and to apologise.  If the message was sent to multiple recipients or to a listserv, a follow-up message is advisable.

4.  Replies – e-mail philosophy is about clear and efficient communication

• Ask yourself if the reply is really necessary.
• If it is: answer all questions, and, where you can, anticipate follow-up questions.
• Include enough – but only enough - of the original message to provide context.
• Separate your response from the original message.
• Check and double-check where the reply is going.  It can be embarrassing if a personal message ends up on a mailing list and it’s generally annoying for the other recipients.

5.  Courtesy

• Use formal modes of address unless you are absolutely certain that informality is acceptable to the receiver(s).
• Say please and thank you.
• Don’t expect an immediate answer. Immediate delivery is not a certainty, and many people read their e-mail only periodically.
• E-mail is not secure.  If you are sending sensitive information, encrypt your messages. The simplest way to do this is to send messages in a password-protected attachment; contact the recipient by phone or in a separate e-mail to tell them the password. (The University of Toronto will be introducing automatic e-mail encryption in the near future).
• Make sure your messages are clear.  This enables the respondent to deal with them quickly and efficiently.
• Don’t use abbreviations and acronyms that you will later have to explain.

6.  Smiley faces :)

• As a replacement for body language, smileys and other “emoticons” can be a useful tool for communication, but they should be limited to informal e-mail messages.  Use them sparingly.

Remember that e-mail is about communication with other people.  When you compose a message, read it over before sending it and ask yourself what your reaction would be if you received it.  Any time spent on making e-mail clearer is time well-spent – start taking the time! 

Adapted from “Nettiquette” – email etiquette by Ella Lund-Thomsen.

Student use of e-mail is governed by the Code of Student Conduct.  E-mail communication is treated in the same way as other forms of communication when it comes to issues of harassment, impersonation, fraud, and sabotage.