E‑mail etiquette and Dealing with junk e‑mail

E‑mail etiquette

Like telephone and face-to-face conversations, e‑mail communication has certain implied rules of behavior. These rules are referred to as e‑mail etiquette or netiquette (a combination of the terms Internet and etiquette). For effective communication, follow these guidelines:

• Be careful with humor and emotion. E‑mail doesn't convey emotion well, so the recipient might not understand your intended tone. Sarcastic humor is particularly risky because the recipient might interpret it literally and take offense. To convey emotion, consider using emoticons (see "Using emoticons" in this article below).
• Think before you send. Writing and sending an e‑mail message is fast and easy—sometimes too easy. Make sure you've thought out your message first, and avoid writing when you're angry.
• Use a clear and concise subject line. Summarize the contents of the message in a few words. People who receive a large amount of e‑mail can use the subject to prioritize the message.
• Keep messages short. Although an e‑mail message can be of any length, e‑mail is designed for quick communication. Many people don't have the time or patience to read more than a few paragraphs.
• Avoid using ALL CAPITAL LETTERS. Many people perceive sentences written in all uppercase letters as yelling and might find it annoying or offensive.
• Be careful with sensitive or confidential information. Any recipient can forward your message to others—either intentionally or accidentally.

Additionally, in formal or business communication, avoid spelling and grammatical errors. Sloppy e‑mail conveys an unprofessional image. Proofread your messages before you send them, and if your e‑mail program has a spelling checker, use it.

Using emoticons

Because it's often difficult to convey emotion, intent, or tone through text alone, early Internet users invented emoticons (a combination of the terms emotion and icons)—sequences of keyboard characters that symbolize facial expressions. For example, :) looks like a smiling face when you look at it sideways. Below are some examples of emoticons.

Emoticon	Meaning
:) or :-)	Smiling, happy, or joking
:( or :-(	Frowning or unhappy
;-)	Winking
:-|	Indifferent or ambivalent
:-o	Surprised or concerned
:-x	Not saying anything
:-p	Sticking out your tongue (usually in fun)
:-D	Laughing

Dealing with junk e‑mail

Just as you might receive unsolicited advertisements, flyers, and catalogs in your regular mail, you'll probably receive junk e‑mail (often called spam) in your inbox. Junk e‑mail might include advertisements, fraudulent schemes, pornography, or legitimate offers. Because it's very inexpensive for marketers to send junk e‑mail, it's not uncommon for people to receive a large amount of it.

Many e‑mail programs and web-based e‑mail services include a junk filter, also called a spam filter. These analyze the content of messages sent to you and move suspicious messages to a special junk e‑mail folder, where you can view or delete them at any time. If a junk e‑mail message slips past the filter into your inbox, many e‑mail programs allow you to specify that any future messages from that sender be automatically moved to the junk e‑mail folder.

To help prevent junk e‑mail:

• Use caution in giving out your e‑mail address. Avoid publishing your real e‑mail address in newsgroups, on websites, or in other public areas of the Internet.
• Before you give your e‑mail address to a website, check the site's privacy statement to be sure it doesn't permit the disclosure of your e‑mail address to other companies.
• Never reply to a junk e‑mail message. The sender will know that your e‑mail address is valid and might sell it to other companies. You're then likely to receive even more junk e‑mail.