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These days, email and instant messaging are among the most popular methods of communication. They are fast, efficient and you can send and receive from anywhere in the world for a fraction of the price of a long-distance phone call. Its no wonder that email has grown so popular. But with that popularity, email has turned into a super informal method of speaking with others.
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Suddenly, grammar and spelling just dont matter anymore. Those who would never dream of writing r u there in a handwritten letter use this and many other shortcuts in their daily correspondence now! The worst examples of this are found in offices where messages sent between co-workers and bosses are horribly misspelled and many actually appear to have been sent by a completely unschooled child!
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Despite the rapidity of technology today, we still ought to take time out to make our emails at least readable if not well-written. This means taking out all slang and actually spelling your words out instead of using abbreviations! It can be tough to make the change, but it is worth it. You will appear more professional and educated at work, while friends and family will appreciate receiving messages that are easy to read and neatly done. Here are a few basic rules for emails.
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Use your spell checker. There is a spell checker in nearly every email package in existence. If you havent used it, now might be a good time. This helps you avoid common mistakes and errors, although spell checkers dont always catch everything, especially if you use two instead of too! But just using the spell checker is a great advance towards having a neat, proper email.
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Dont use All Caps. This is generally considered to be rude, like yelling in someones face, so just dont do it. Also, spam filters tend to toss these sorts of emails, so it is better to avoid them if you can.
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Keep abbreviations to a minimum. It is fine to use well-known and accepted abbreviations such as UNICEF, for example, but stay away from things like LOL in your emails, particularly business ones. These types of shortcuts look unprofessional, as if a child has just signed on.
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Include a greeting and a signature. While a quick note to your best friend two cubicles down might not be enough to warrant such elegant treatment, the majority of emails ought to include a dear . . . . and a love, . . . .. Otherwise, your email will be just another note bordering on rude!
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Dont forward every little note that you get. If you have a really funny joke in your inbox, copy and paste. Most people delete forwarded emails anyway, considering them to be spam. You dont want to spam your friends, so copy and paste the bits that you think they would enjoy and change the subject title to something that reflects the actual content, not FWD, FWD.
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Writing emails is quickly replacing the handwritten note, but that doesnt mean you need to be rude and uneducated. Take the time to format your email, check it over and make it neat and clean. People will appreciate it and you will have a better reputation in the office and at home!