E-mail etiquette

You might be an old-hand at e-mail or just starting out on your technological career, but either way, do you know the correct and acceptable standards for e-mail use? When we talk, we expect other people to observe certain rules of behaviour, and the same applies online. This is particularly applicable when it comes to the corporate environment. MWEB, South Africa's leading Internet Service Provider has some guidelines on good e-mail behaviour - here are some important ones:

• Subject line: Use the subject line to give recipients an idea of the message's contents. Messages without subject lines can also get deleted by spam-filtering software.
• Urgent icon: Don't mark things as urgent if they aren't, because then when you really do have an urgent message, it may not be treated in the way it deserves. You could also indicate the level of urgency in the subject line if necessary
• CC: Don't over-use the CC (Carbon Copy) function to copy your message to everyone. This is particularly true at work, and since everyone receives too many e-mails these days, only direct your e-mails to those people who really need to receive it.
• BCC: Use the BCC (Blind Carbon Copy) function when addressing a message to a large group of people who don't know each other. Just as it's not polite to give out a person's telephone number without their permission, it's not polite to give out someone's e-mail address, which you will do if you just CC everyone.
• Capital letters: Don't type your message in all capital letters - not only are they hard to read, but it is also looks like you're SHOUTING! Bad punctuation and using all lowercase letters also makes e-mails hard to read.
• Language usage: Don't use vulgar language or make racist or sexist comments. Think before you send something - once it's out there, you can't get it back. And anyway, a lot of companies have firewalls that block use of foul language.
• Signature: As a courtesy to your recipient, include your name (and if relevant, your company details) at the bottom of your message. Especially if your e-mail address is different from your real name, it's important for people to know who the e-mail is from.
• Large files: Don't e-mail large files without first checking if your recipient can actually receive them. Some companies have firewalls which prevent large files from getting through, and if someone is on a dial-up connection, downloading a 4 megabyte file is going to take a long time, and cost them a lot too.
• Reply to All: Be careful about choosing "Reply to All" when responding to a message. You might end up broadcasting your response to the entire company by mistake!
• Forwarding: When forwarding an e-mail to someone, always check what is written below the last e-mail, before sending it on - you could be surprised or embarrassed at the content of the mail trail below!
• Virus warning e-mails: Do not pass along warnings about Internet viruses or any other threats without first checking if they are valid warnings - usually they are hoax e-mails themselves. Phone MWEB or ask your IT specialist before contributing to spam yourself.
• Chain letters: Don't participate in the electronic versions of chain letters. They clog up bandwidth and are a nuisance to most e-mail users. MWEB filters over 130 million e-mails a month, blocking around 101 million (77.5%!!) which its servers recognise as spam or junk mail and preventing them from clogging up members' inboxes. Don't assist the spammers by unknowingly contributing to this menace.

If you're uncertain about anything regarding sending or receiving e-mails, MWEB can help you. MWEB members can contact the call centre on 08600 32000 for more information. Remember, the online world is just like the real world, and you don't want to make a fool of yourself in either!