E-Mail: Be Less Annoying
Everyone -- including Bill Gates -- can use e-mail more efficiently. And learn
how not to do really dumb things.
by Steve Bass, PC World
Author, PC Annoyances
From the December, 2006 issue of the I/O Port Newsletter
I've come to the conclusion that everyone needs to take a test before being able
to use e-mail. No, I'm serious. You have to take an e-mail test. If you pass,
you get an e-mail license. Proudly hang it on the wall. Screw up--send lots of
messages with blank subject lines, say--and your license is pulled. You go on
probation and attend mandatory remedial e-mail training.
But I ran out of room in the print column, so here are some more tips, including
how to stop being obnoxious with your e-mail.
To Whom Am I Speaking?
Sometimes I have absolutely no idea who's sending me an e-mail, and this is a
problem. I mean, I'll say something to another guy that I wouldn't dream of
uttering to a lady my mother's age. [Sorry, Mom.]
Don't share. If you and your live-in (spouse, significant other, whatever)
use the same e-mail address, stop it. Extra e-mail addresses are free and
consolidating e-mails into one mailbox is confusing the dickens out of me
because I never know who I'm writing to.
Use a signature line. Make life easier for me: Add a signature line with
your name and e-mail address using the hot-linked mailto:steve_bass@pcworld.com
format. It's easier to reply just to you if your e-mail was sent to many people;
it's also great for when I forward your e-mail--the new recipient doesn't have
to cut and paste your address.
Use your real name. Don't get me wrong, I love your
beerbelly49832@yourisp.com. The problem is, I haven't a clue who you are. Be a
champ and add your real name in the signature line. And a favor? Don't use
initials.
Do I Need to Read This Right Now?
Look, I'm a very busy man (or so I tell my wife and editor), and I get tons of
e-mail every day. I need to do e-mail triage--you know, scanning the inbox for
the hottest messages and reading them first. But honestly, I can't do this with
most e-mail I get. So here's what I recommend:
The subject is... Tell me, clearly and briefly, what your message is about
in the subject line. I delete all messages with vague subjects--Hi, Hello, or
worse, an empty subject line (oh, do I hate that!). And make sure you don't
trigger my spam filter by using all capital letters, exclamation points, and
words you typically see in junk e-mail, like "free," "spam," "mortgage," or
"Viagra."
Exec summary. Give me a one- or a two-sentence overview at the start of your
e-mail. "I have a complicated issue," you might start out, "involving a Dell,
memory cards, and SP2. If you have time to help, I've provided details below.'
Save time. Use [NM] or [EOM] (they stand for "no message" or "end of
message") in the subject line as a shorthand way of responding with a simple
"thank you" or an acknowledgement. This helps reduce the number of e-mails I
need to open; many of the people at PC World use the trick and it's increased
everyone's productivity.
And Your Point Is?
Once I actually open an e-mail, I need to get the point quickly so I can reply
to the sender if necessary, then move on to the next one. But lots of the
missives I get are, how to say it?, a mess.
Use paragraphs. Obvious, right? Nope. I get e-mails with one long paragraph
the length of the Gettysburg Address. Break it up into three or four smaller
ones. By the way, my limit is three or four paragraphs; after that I start
dozing. [Editor's note: I noticed.] And send a test message to a buddy to make
sure your e-mail program isn't removing paragraph returns.
By the numbers. If you have more than one question or point, number them. It
makes replying a whole lot easier if I can refer to the numbers.
Subject shorthand. When you reply or forward an e-mail, it's helpful if you
stick one or two descriptive words in front of the original subject so the
recipient has an idea of what's in store. For instance, I use tags such as
"Update," "Confirmation," or "Really Dumb."
Miscellaneous Gripes
Think I'm done kvetching? Nope, no such luck.
Attachment don'ts. Don't attach anything executable--period. If on the off
chance I've asked you to send a program, stick it into a zipped file.
Keep it private. Don't reply to a mailing list with "great idea" or "I
agree." Reply privately instead. Select a small part of the original message for
context's sake.
Stay plain, Jane. Avoid fancy formatting, gaudy colors, and flowery
backgrounds. Two reasons: first, what's cool on your monitor looks like hell on
mine; and second, that extra coding increases the download time for folks with
slower connections.
Dear [InsertName]. Private note to PR flacks: If you can't use mail merge
properly, don't.
Be Less Annoying, Take 2: Mail Lists
Last week's newsletter really struck a nerve. My inbox was flooded with a bucket
of e-mail (most of it not very annoying). So this week I figured I'd follow up
with advice on good mail list etiquette. But before I do, here are some e-mail
gaffes that drive readers crazy.
"Stop sending chain e-mails to me--no matter what the cause (little Timmy needs
your old Christmas cards to live, canola oil is poison, tell someone you love
them, whatever...). While I find them annoying in general, they are even worse
when they are the only time you contact me. I'd rather be dropped from your
little list. Think for a minute: Do I ever send you such drivel, or respond to
it?" --Chuck
"Always use the subject line. I automatically delete any e-mail without a
subject line." --Linda
"Check spellings. Don't mix subjects in one e-mail." --Arvind
"Phone home. For conversations that require significant two-way dialog and do
not require documenting, use a phone or IM. Do not send an e-mail asking me to
lunch in 30 minutes." --Jack
"Stop using those fancy script fonts! They are near impossible to read. And
please, no more purple, orange, green font colors. It’s an e-mail, not a work of
art!" --Mark
Now, on to some mail list etiquette. If you're new to mail lists, or even if
you're not, you can learn how to make your messages easier to read, more useful,
and definitely less annoying to others.
When Replying to Messages
1. Don't hit Reply All for every message. Avoid responses the entire list won't
find useful. For instance, don't reply to the entire list with "thanks," "good
idea," or "I'll try it!" Instead, reply directly to the person who just helped
you.
Unfortunately, on many lists it's easy to inadvertently reply to everyone
instead of an individual. Take a sec and check the return address before hitting
Send. The sender's e-mail address is usually near the top of the message.
Another tip: Insert OFFLIST at the start of your subject line when replying to
an individual. That way the recipient will know you're not replying to the
entire list.
2. Remove the extra stuff. When replying, it takes seconds to snip extraneous
junk and leave only essential portions of the previous message. There's rarely a
need to repeat the entire thread, and doing so often discourages people from
reading your message.
No matter what you do, get rid of the stuff that's automatically inserted at the
bottom of every message--the "how to unsubscribe" junk--that clutters up every
message.
3. Keep the subject line short. If you're viewing messages in digest form, the
subject is something lengthy, like, "[Computing] Digest 07-13-06, 16 messages."
When you reply to a message, it's essential (mandatory, really) that you change
the subject to the message topic. Then remove everything from the digest message
except the topic and your response.
4. Restrain yourself. It's not necessary to weigh in on every topic, especially
on very busy lists. Consider limiting yourself to one or two messages a day.
When Starting a New Thread
1. Brevity is the soul of wit. Just as with e-mail, consider tackling just one
topic or issue per message, and keep your messages short. Long messages (more
than, say, three or four paragraphs) are difficult to read; long paragraphs are
equally difficult to plow through.
2. Use an informative signature line. Keep your signature line short, say, two
or three lines. Usually your name is adequate, though some lists (such as one
I'm on about camper vans) want a city and state. The point is to avoid sticking
in anything nonessential.
3. Stay on topic. If it's a computing list, send messages about computing; ditto
for a cooking list, or any other special-interest group. Most importantly, avoid
political messages and jokes.
This column originally appeared in Bass's PC World newsletter, Tips and Tweaks.
Copyright 2006 Steve Bass and PC World. Read Bass's blog at
http://snurl.com/BassBlog and his previous newsletters and print columns at:
http://snipurl.com/tweaks. Subscribe to his weekly newsletter at
http://snurl.com/homeoffice.
Steve Bass is a Contributing Editor with PC World, a 23 year veteran of PIBMUG,
and a founding member of APCUG. He’s also the author of PC Annoyances: How to
Fix the Most Annoying Things about Your Personal Computer, O’Reilly Press. It’s
available on Amazon at dirt cheap prices. http://snurl.com/annoyances
There is no restriction against any non-profit group using this article as long
as it is kept in context with proper credit given the author. The Editorial
Committee of the Association of Personal Computer User Groups (APCUG), an
international organization of which this group is a member, brings this article
to you.
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