E-mail Format Guidelines

1. Be professional.
2. Use complete sentences.
3. Put the course name in the subject of the email message. For example, use "Astronomy 123 - Homework Question".
4. Begin your message with your professor's name.
   For example, use "Dear Dr. Smith:".
5. Include your name and email address at the end of your message.
6. Use capital letters in the body of your message when appropriate.
   For example, use "I will..." instead of "i will...".
7. Check your spelling. For example, do not use "u" in the place of "you" or "ur" in the place or "your".
8. Do not use all capital letters for words in your email messages. This is sometimes seen as yelling.

Professionalism and Email

NOT ACCOUNTING FOR TONE
When you communicate with another person face to face, 93% of the message is non-verbal. E-mail has no body language. The reader cannot see your face or hear your tone of voice so chose your words carefully and thoughtfully. Put yourself in the other person’s place and think how your words may come across in Cyberspace.

OMITTING THE SUBJECT LINE
Given the huge volume of e-mail that each person receives, the subject header is essential if you want your message read any time soon.

NOT MAKING YOUR SUBJECT LINE MEANINGFUL
Your header should be pertinent to your message, not just “Hi” or “Hello.” The recipient is going to decide the order in which he or she reads e-mail based on who sent it and what it is about.

NOT PERSONALIZING YOUR MESSAGE TO THE RECIPIENT
E-mail is informal but it still needs a greeting. Begin with “Dear Mr. Broome,” “Dear Jim,” “Hello Jim,” or just “Jim.” Failure to put in the person’s name can make you and your e-mail seem cold.

FORGETTING TO CHECK FOR SPELLING AND GRAMMAR
In the early days of e-mail, someone created the notion that this form of communication did not have to be letter perfect. Wrong. It does. It is a representation of you. If you don’t check to be sure e-mail is correct, people will question the caliber of other work you do. Use proper capitalization and punctuation, and always check your spelling. Remember that your spellchecker will catch misspelled words, but not misused ones. It cannot tell whether you meant to say “from” or “form,” “for” or “fro”, “he” or “the.”

WRITING THE GREAT AMERICAN NOVEL
E-mail is meant to be brief. Keep your message short. Use only a few paragraphs and a few sentences per paragraph. People skim their e-mail so a long letter is sometimes wasted. If you find yourself writing an overly long message, pick up the phone or call for a meeting.

FORWARDING E-MAIL WITHOUT PERMISSION
Most everyone is guilty of this one, but think about it. If the message was sent to you and only you, why would you take responsibility for passing it on? Too often confidential information has gone global because of someone’s lack of judgment. Unless you are asked or request permission, do not forward anything that was sent just to you.

THINKING THAT NO ONE ELSE WILL EVER SEE YOUR E-MAIL
Once it has left your mailbox, you have no idea where your e-mail will end up. Don’t use the Internet to send anything that you couldn’t stand to see on a billboard on your way to work the next day. Use other means to communicate personal or sensitive information.

LEAVING OFF YOUR SIGNATURE
Always close with your name, even though it is included at the top of the e-mail, and add contact information such as your phone, fax and street address. The recipient may want to call you to talk further or send you documents that cannot be e-mailed. Creating a formal signature block with all that data is the most professional approach.

EXPECTING AN INSTANT RESPONSE
Not everyone is sitting in front of the computer with e-mail turned on. The beauty of Internet communication is that it is convenient. It is not an interruption. People can check their messages when it suits them. If your communication is so important that you need to hear back right away, please use the phone.