It’s been said, “Write as if there was no one looking over your shoulder.” However, in today’s internet age, the whole world is looking over your shoulder. It’s called www., the WORLD WIDE Web, for good reason.
On a recent episode of Oprah, she and her panel of experts discussed several social “Sticky Situations,” including Email Etiquette. In response to a question about e-mail gossiping on company time, Oprah’s advice was to, “always write e-mails as if they’re going to appear in The New York Times. Don’t write anything that you don’t want to see on the front page of a newspaper.”
As the author of “Off the Cuff/What to Say at a Moments Notice,” (Career Press) I could not agree more. Both business and personal e-mail should be written less like a letter and more like a newspaper lead. Use an informative headline as the subject and begin with the main point. Be as concise as possible, don’t ramble.
And be careful, because emails get right through and touch the recipient in an up close and personal way. Remember that e-mail is a one-way street that doesn’t have signs to tell you if you’re going in the wrong direction. You can’t sense your impact, read his/her face or adjust the tone of your voice. Words can be misread in a different way to take on a different meaning, for example sarcasm or criticism. And words always seem more important when they are written, than spoken.
New Media Etiquette is crucial in protecting and maintaining your reputation, privacy and professionalism. Everything that is written on the web whether it be via email, tweet, blog or wall post is recorded and stored public information.
Because of its convenience, immediacy and cost effectiveness, internet communication has become ubiquitous in business and in life. In many instances, it alone represents and speaks for you. Show respect for yourself and your e-mail. Use it with discretion.