II.

The E – mail Correspondence

2.1. Definition and Characteristics

Electronic mail is a relatively new medium of communication that is experiencing
exploding growth around the world. Aside from the Internet, the world's largest computer
network, there are thousands of local area networks (LANs) and wide area networks (WANs)
that send millions messages daily across various kinds of transmission cable.
Due to its speed and broadcasting ability, electronic communication is fundamentally
different from paper-based communication in the following characteristics:
1. As the turnaround time can be so fast, email is more conversational than traditional
paper-based media. In a paper document, it is absolutely essential to make everything
completely clear and unambiguous because your audience may not have a chance to
ask for clarification. With email documents, your recipient can ask questions
immediately. In this sense, email tends to be more negligent than communications on
paper, being closer to the speech than to the written message.
2. It doesn’t provide any status cues such as dress, diction, or dialect, so your
correspondent may make assumptions solely based on your command of language.
Therefore, it is essential to be aware of when you can be sloppy and when you have to
be meticulous.
3. Email does not convey emotions, as in the case of face-to-face or even telephone
conversations. As it lacks vocal inflection, gestures, and a shared environment, your
correspondent may have difficulty telling if you are serious or kidding, happy or sad,
frustrated or euphoric. Consequently, sarcasm is particularly dangerous to use in email.
4. Another difference between email and older media is that what the sender sees when
composing a message might not look like what the reader sees. Our vocal cords make
sound waves that are perceived basically the same both by our audience and ourselves.
But with email, the software and hardware that we use for composing, sending,
storing, downloading, and reading may be completely different from what our
correspondent uses. In other words, the visual qualities of our message may be quite
different by the time it gets to someone else's screen. Thus, email compositions should
be different from both paper compositions and speech

2.2. Basic Rules of Email Writing

In order to write an effective email you should observe the following basic rules:
1. Write a meaningful subject line. When writing an email you should remember that your
message is not the only one in your recipient's mailbox. Moreover, recipients often scan the
subject line in order to decide whether to open, forward, file, or trash a message. in this sense,
avoid such subjects as Important! Read Immediately!! simply because what is important to
you may not be important to your reader. Instead, write an informative headline that actually
communicates at least the essence of what you consider important: Emergency: All Cars in
the Lower Lot Will Be Towed in 1 Hour.
Also avoid such ambiguous subjects as Meeting, because it doesn’t suggest anything in
particular, so it is practically impossible to know what it refers to without opening the
message. Something more precise like Follow-up about Meeting would be more effective.
Moreover, as e-mail accounts are daily invaded by dozens of virus-bearing junk mails bearing
vague titles such as or no title at all, your recipient may become suspicious and not even open
your message.

34
2. Compose a focused and readable message. Recipients tend to read long messages only
partly or superficially. If you have multiple messages that are only loosely related, number
your points to ensure they are all read and your correspondent doesn’t reply only to the first
item that grabs his or her attention. Also add an introductory line that states how many parts
there are to the message. If the points are substantial enough, split them up into separate
messages so your recipient can delete, respond, file, or forward each item individually. To
keep your message as readable as possible:
 Use standard capitalization and spelling, especially when your message asks your
recipient to do work for you. When writing for professional purposes, definitely
exclude quick gushing messages as thx 4 ur help 2day ur gr8.
 Skip lines between paragraphs.
 Avoid fancy typefaces. Don't depend upon bold font or large size to add nuances.
Rather use asterisks ( *…*) to show emphasis.
 Don't type in all-caps. Online, all-caps suggest shouting, so people will react as if
you meant to be aggressive.
3. Avoid attachments. Put your information in the body of your e-mail whenever possible.
The main reason for this is that attachments
* are increasingly dangerous carriers of viruses
* take time to download
* take up needless space on your recipient's computer, and
* don't always translate correctly (especially for people who might read their e-mail on
portable devices).
Instead of sending a whole word processor file, just copy and paste the relevant text into
the e-mail (unless of course your recipient actually needs to view file in order to edit or
archive it).
4. Identify yourself clearly. When contacting someone for the first time, always include
your name, occupation, and any other important identification information in the first few
sentences.
5. Use civilized tone and avoid inflammatory personal attacks. The term to “flame” refers
to the writing of an abusive personal attack. It is safer to avoid writing in anger, or take some
time to cool off before you press the “send” button, as “flaming” may have unsuspected
negative consequences in professional relations, where the rules of etiquette are stricter. Here,
the generally established rule is “Praise in public, criticize in private”.
6. Proofread. Especially when you are in a professional context, take the time to make your
message look professional. Although your spell checker will not catch every mistake, it will
signal your typing errors. If you are sending a message that will be read by someone higher
up in the hierarchy (a superior or professor, for instance), or if you are about to mass-mail
dozens or thousands of people, carefully proofread your message before sending it. It is even
safer to show a draft to a close associate, in order to see whether it actually makes sense.
7. Don't assume privacy. Don’t forget that email is not 100% secure. Therefore, don't send
anything over e-mail that you wouldn't want to be made public, with your name attached to it.
Just as random pedestrians could easily reach into your mailbox and intercept the envelopes
that you send and receive through the post office, a hacker or a criminal, can easily intercept
your e-mail. In some companies, the e-mail administrator has the ability to read all e-mail
messages, and may fire you if you write anything inappropriate.
8. Distinguish between formal and informal situations. When you are writing to a friend or
a close colleague, you can use “smilies”, abbreviations and nonstandard punctuation and
spelling. However friendly these may seem, they are part of informal language that should be
avoided in a professional or an official context, as they give the impression of carelessness, if
not of insolence.

35
9. Respond promptly. If you want to appear professional and courteous, make yourself
available to your online correspondents. Even if your reply is Sorry, I'm too busy to help you
now, at least your correspondent won't be waiting in vain for your reply.
10. Show respect and restraint. Although most people know that e-mail is not private, it is a
good idea to ask the sender before forwarding a personal message. If someone e-mails
you a request, it is perfectly acceptable to forward the request to a person who can help,
but forwarding a message in order to ridicule the sender is unfair and rude. Use bcc
("blind carbon copy") instead of cc when sending sensitive information to large groups
(for example, a professor sending a bulk message to students who are in danger of
failing, or an employer telling unsuccessful applicants that a position is no longer
open). Whereas the name of everyone in the cc list goes out with the message, the
names of people on the bcc list are hidden. Be tolerant of other people's etiquette
blunders. If you think you've been insulted, quote the line back to your sender and add
a neutral comment such as I'm not sure how to interpret this... could you elaborate?
11. Choose appropriate greetings, identification and signatures.
* Greetings are a very tricky issue, especially if you are crossing cultures. Frequently,
titles are different for men and women, and you may not be able to tell which you are
addressing. Besides, the family name comes first in some cultures, and last in others, whereas
honorifics may vary based on status or age.
For instance, in the United States it is a bad idea to use Sir or Mr. unless you are
absolutely certain that your correspondent is male. Similarly, it is safer to use Ms. instead of
Miss or Mrs. unless you know the preference of the woman in question. Using someone's first
name preceded by dear is usually accepted: Dear Chris. Beware of using a diminutive if you
aren't certain your correspondent uses it.
If you are addressing a group of people, you can use dear plus a unifying attribute: Dear
Project Managers.
Having in view that email is relatively informal, in the United States there isn't a problem
with dispensing with names and titles altogether, especially if you are in a higher status
position than your correspondent. For people you already know, you can use a simple Hi.
Also remember that Good Morning and Good Afternoon don't make a lot of sense with email,
as your correspondent may get it in an entirely different moment of the day. Good Day
sounds stilted to Americans, although it is common in some parts of the former British
Empire.
You should also be careful about cultural differences. Thus, the East Coast of the United
States is more formal than the West Coast. Germans are even more formal: they can work
side-by-side for years and never get around to a first-name basis. Therefore, starting a
message to Germany with Dear Hans might be a bad idea.
* Another essential issue to deal with immediately after the greeting is your identification.
When you send email to someone who doesn't know you, you should immediately answer
these questions:
- How did you learn of your correspondent?
- What do you want from your correspondent?
- Who are you?
- Why should your correspondent pay attention to you?
For example:
Dear Ms. Sherwood:
I am an editor at Very Large Publishing
Company, Inc. I sat next to your husband on United last week,
and he mentioned that you are interested in publishing a book
based on your email guide. I have read your guide, and would be

36
 very interested in receiving a proposal from you.
* Signatures. Generally email programs allow you to set up a default signature to be
included at the end of every message. Many people use these signatures as an easy way to
give their name and alternate ways of reaching them.
The name is perfectly reasonable to include in your signature, especially if:
* Your email messages don't include your full name in the From: line.
* The name in the From: line doesn't match the name you actually use.
* The email account is shared by multiple people.
The telephone number is also a reasonable thing to include if you are willing to be
contacted by phone call. Emotions are easier to convey over the phone, and some people
prefer phone to email for all circumstances.
In business related messages, including the company name is a reasonable thing, even if
the message is going to someone else in the same company. Also include your job title, which
may have more influence on the correspondent than anything else:
Rebecca Ridge
Chief Executive Officer, IMG Direct, Inc.
+1 (959) 123-4567 voice
Under any circumstances, keep your signature at or under five lines long. Whenever a
piece of contact information changes, make sure to revise your signature to make sure that it
is still up-to-date.
2.3. Elements of E-mail Etiquette
2.3.1. Do’s and Don’ts of Business Mail
Up to now, email has generally been used as an informal means of communication.
However, as it becomes increasingly popular in the field of professional and business
communication. To be taken seriously and be given more credibility in such a context (when
writing to potential employers, co-workers, colleagues, business associates, and college staff
or personnel), you should make efforts to switch from casual and conversational e-mail to
professional e-mail. The most common mistakes in a professional email are:
* using emoticons ,
* being too informal,
* misspellings and poor grammar,
* no capitalization, and
* spelling words the way they sound.
Professional e-mail is very different from casual e-mail or instant messenger. Therefore,
when writing an e-mail in which you are job prospecting or applying for a job you should
consider the following elementary rule of email etiquette:
* Always introduce yourself the same way you would in a cover letter:
Dear Mr./Ms…..
I am writing in regard to your posting on….for …..position in financial services.
* Treat your e-mail as if you were writing a professional cover or thank-you letter on
paper, but be brief.
* In the subject line, make it obvious why you are writing: Application for …position.
* Make sure you change the contact name and content according to the person/company to
whom you are sending the message.
* If you are responding to an e-mail, include the original message in the reply, so the
receiver can put your e-mail into the correct context. Also, respond within two business days.
* Always spell words correctly! · Don't just limit to the spell checker, as it will not point
out the words misused within the context of the sentence.
* Never use all capital letters. Employers may think that you are screaming, and it is also
difficult to read.

37
 * Think about the message your e-mail address sends. Keep your address simple, and
avoid unprofessional sounding names.
* Read your message carefully before you click the send button. The tone of an e-mail can
often be misinterpreted.
* Have someone else proofread your message before you send it. It may be easier to find
errors if you print and review your e-mail.
* Scan your resume for viruses before you attach it to your e-mail.
* Name your document your name, resume. Employers receive hundreds of resumes via e-
mail so, if you follow-up by asking recruiters if they received your e-mail, they will find
yours more easily.
* If you are attaching your resume, ask the receiver if they would prefer that you send it in
a different format (Word Perfect, rich text format, or as a PDF).
* Do not assume that if an employer is informal that you should also be.
* Don't just rely on e-mail. E-mail can be lost. Follow-ups can often be done via the
telephone or regular mail.

2.3.2. Status Cues and Formality

Just as you have no guarantees about your correspondents' context, you can't determine
much about their status. As you can't see their clothes, note their dialect and rate of speech, or
listen to the timbre of their voice, your guesses about your correspondents' age, race, gender,
intelligence, and education will be much less accurate than they usually would be in a face-
to-face or even telephone conversation. On the other hand, your correspondents can't tell
much about you either. Under the circumstances, both sides will make assumptions based on
certain cues.
The biggest status cue is your competence with the language. If you have a lot of
misspellings, grammatical or vocabulary errors, people may assume that you are uneducated,
or even not very clever. Furthermore, some people are literally insulted by getting email with
typing errors. Fortunately, grammar- and spell-checkers can help enormously, but don’t forget
there are certain classes of errors that these tools will not find. Therefore, proofreading
remains the safest solution.
Your correspondents will also extract status cues from your domain. Any stereotype that is
held about the organization that gives you your email connection will have an impact on the
way you are perceived. For example, if your email comes from:
* ibm.com, people may presume that you are adult, computer literate, and somewhat
stuffy.
* aol.com, some people will presume that you are connecting from home and that your
email is not work-related.
* washington.k12.ia.us, people may think that you are under 18.
* webtv.net, people will probably assume that you are not terribly computer literate.
Your correspondents will also look at your real name (if visible) and log-in ID. Unless
your name has cues to the contrary, most people will assume that you match the dominant
species of your organization and/or country. People will frequently assume that
bpj@thromble.com is male but that barbara@thromble.com will be female. Similarly, unless
the name is something like Smith, people are likely to assume that the author of any email
coming from Taiwan is Asian. Your log-in ID gives even more subtle cues. Having a
desirable email name - short and without numbers - can indicate that you were one of the first
in your domain to get an email account. People may also make assumptions about your

38
maturity and formality level. Your correspondent will probably take
Barbara.J.Periwinkle@thromble.com more seriously than barbiedoll@thromble.com.
You can steer people's impressions very easily just by telling them who you are. You can
do this by adding a signature with status cues:

Barbara J. Periwinkle
Vice-President of Legal Affairs
Itty Bitty Machines, Inc.

Or:

Peter Periwinkle
Kennedy Middle School
(Age 14)

The final thing that people will consider in making an impression about you is your use of
email. If you do not give proper context, type only in capital letters, or use extremely long
lines, people may assume that you are highly inexperienced with this medium. In addition to
the composition of the email message, people will look at how appropriate the message was
In deciding how much time you should spend on managing your status cues, you should
consider such issues as:
* Do you know your correspondents? If you have had extended contact with your
correspondents already, their assumptions about your age, gender, status, and intellect will be
pretty solid. In this case, only the most serious abuse of grammar rules and email etiquette is
likely to affect your status significantly.
* What outcome depends on the message? If you are sending email to your boss, you
should be careful about your grammar. If you are corresponding with salespeople who want
to collaborate with you, they are very unlikely to care about your grammar. However, if you
need a favor, people may be more willing to help you if you are able to project enough status
to make them think that you might be useful to them in the future.
* What does your correspondents’ email look like? If they send you email with incorrect
punctuation, poor spelling, and wrong syntax, they will probably not notice if you do the
same.
* Do incorrect assumptions bother you? For instance, if you are a man named Patrick who
doesn't want to be mistaken for a woman, you will avoid using the ID Pat instead of Patrick.
Similarly, if you don't want people to assume that you are a teenager, or an immature person,
give up such an ID as Superman.
Because email is so easy to respond to, people naturally tend to use very informal
language. However, remember that you can control to some extent what responses you get to
your email messages by how formal your language is. Generally, an informal tone encourages
your correspondents to respond, which is a good thing if you want feedback. However, if
your email address is in a very public place, you may get far more email than you are
interested in. Consequently, if you want people to respond, be chatty and informal; if you
want to discourage people from sending you email, you should write much more formally.
2.4. Tone in Email Writing
Tone is the quality in your writing that reveals your attitude toward your topic and reader.
Tone comes from your choice of words, the structure of your sentences, and the order of the
information you present.
Tone in e-mail – how you say what you say – is so important that an inappropriate tone can
cause a reader to ignore, delete, or overreact to your message. A versatile writer can write the

39
same thing using a variety of tones. Consequently, all business e-mail writers must be able to
control the tone of their writing, so their e-mail messages will have the results they intend.
Unfortunately, it is easy for e-mail writers to let their tone slip from professional to edgy
or sarcastic, as email emboldens writers to express thoughts they would never say to a
reader's face. Besides, most e-mail writers don't review their messages as carefully as they
should and, when they do so, they look at the content rather than the tone. However, tone is
so important that the wrong one can damage a partnership, as well as the progress on a
company project. The safest way in setting the tone for your business e-mail is to write in a
tone that is closest to the way you would speak to your reader in person. To write an e-mail
message in a courteous and professional tone, you should:
1. Choose your words carefully. Remember that well-chosen words create a personal,
professional tone in e- mail. You can't rely on emoticons to set the tone in your e-mail.
Choose words because they carry meaning to all readers, some of whom may not understand
emoticons or abbreviations.
2. Choose an appropriate greeting and closing. The greeting in your e-mail establishes
your relationship to your reader. Most writers of business e-mail begin their messages with
Hi or Hello followed by the recipient's first name: Hello, Fred. Some writers begin the
message with the first name only. Dear is still an acceptable greeting in e-mail, not merely a
vestige of outdated "print" culture.
If you're writing an e-mail message to a group, use the group name in the greeting. Don't
begin your message Hi, guys or Everybody. Though these extremely casual greetings may
sound friendly, they are actually just vague. Try Dear Leadership Team or Hello, Interns. A
more specific greeting sets a focused tone to the message.
Don’t forget to write a closing for your message. Beside making it easier for your reader to
find the end of the message, the closing seals the tone and serves as a final reminder of the
main point or requested outcome. Try either an action-oriented closing such as I'll call you on
Tuesday to schedule the meeting, or a gracious closing: Thanks for your help, or I look
forward to meeting you.
3. Use personal pronouns. To make your e-mail writing personal, address your reader
directly by using the pronoun you. Write: You may use the Executive Health Club on
weekends instead of: Employees may use the Executive Health Club on weekends. Use the
pronouns I and we when referring to yourself or your organization. Write: I discovered that
our mail room clerks were throwing away most of the promotional fliers instead of: It was
discovered that most of the promotional fliers were being thrown away. Similarly, replace:
Because you used the product incorrectly we will not refund your money with: Mannheim
Manufacturing cannot refund your money because the product was used incorrectly.
4. Use the active voice. Active voice makes your e-mail tone clearer and more direct and
less bureaucratic. Therefore, write: We will gladly provide funding and materials just as soon
as the foundation accepts your proposal rather than: Funding and materials will be provided
promptly when the proposal has been accepted.
5. Order information to maintain a professional tone. The beginning of an e-mail
message sets the tone and emphasizes the content of the message. Set a direct tone by
communicating the most important information first. Even when the main point of the
message is bad news (a cut in funding, a rejected application, or a transfer), you must begin
with it. Burying the bad news somewhere in the middle or end of the message is harmful, as
readers may miss it or misinterpret its importance.
6. Use an adequate subject line. A subject line that pertains clearly to the email body will
help people mentally shift to the proper context before they read your message. The subject
line should be brief, does not need to be a complete sentence, and should give a clue to the
contents of the message. For example: Subject: need 3 CPUs by Tues.

40
 * For time-critical messages, starting with URGENT is a good idea. For instance:
URGENT: need 3 CPUs by Tues.
* For requests, starting with REQ: signals that action isrequired.
* If you are offering non-urgent information that requires no response from the other person,
prefacing the subject line with FYI: (For Your Information) is recommended. * Eliminate the
word information from your subject lines and, whenever possible, from the body of your
message as well. To such an ambiguous subject, your correspondent will surely reply by
asking for further context.
7. Expressing emotions. The most difficult thing to convey in email is emotion. People
frequently get in trouble for typing exactly what they would say out loud but unfortunately,
without the tone of voice to signal their emotion, it is easy to misinterpret their intent. While
you cannot make your voice higher or lower, louder or softer to denote emphasis, there are
writing techniques you can use to convey vocal inflection and emotion:
* Light emphasis. If you want to give something mild emphasis, you should enclose it in
asterisks, which are the equivalent of Italics in a paper document: I *said* that I was going to
leave last Thursday or: I said that I was going to leave last *Thursday*.
You can also capitalize the first letter of the words you want to emphasize lightly:
While Bob may say that you should never turn it past
nine, this is not Cast In Stone. It will explode
if you turn it up to eleven, but anything under ten
should work just fine.
* Strong emphasis. If you want to indicate stronger emphasis, use all capital letters and
some extra exclamation marks:
If you turn it up to eleven, you'll overheat
the motors and IT MIGHT EXPLODE!!
Nevertheless, remember that you should use capital letters sparingly, as they will convey the
message that you are shouting. Moreover, it is totally inappropriate to use all capital letters

2.5. Format in Email Writing

Although the underlying rules governing email transmission are highly standardized, there
are a large number of different software programs that can be used to read email.
Consequently, it is possible that the message you send will look quite different when
displayed on your correspondent's screen. This means you have to be careful about how you
present your text in order to avoid such mismatches. The basic two aspects to pay attention to
are the following:
* Fancy Text. Some email reading software only understands plain text. Italics, bold, and
color changes will show up as control sequences in the text. Web documents are particularly
difficult to read with older email programs. You may have a choice of sending the web page
as text or as HTML. Anyway, keep your correspondent's capabilities in mind when you make
that choice.
* Attachments. Some mailers support “attachments”, where you can specify a document to
send through email. This allows people to share essentially any file in any format. GIF-
encoded images, JPEG-encoded images, Word documents, WordPerfect documents,
Photoshop files, Excel spreadsheets, and executable files are just a few of the types of
documents that can be sent. If your correspondent has a mail reader that can handle
attachments, he can look at a long attachment later. However, if your correspondent's email
software doesn't support attachments and you send a non-text file (like a Word document, a
picture, or even compressed text), they will appear as unreadable.
On the other hand, even if your correspondents have email software that supports
attachments, they still have to have software to read the document. Even executable programs

41
can't always be useful to your correspondent. For instance, Macintosh programs will not run
on Microsoft Windows machines, whereas Windows95 programs will not run on machines
that only have DOS installed. Furthermore, even if your correspondents can receive and view
the attachment you send them, if they are low on disk space or dial in from home to get their
email, they will not be happy to receive, for instance, a 200MB video. Consequently, it is
better to post large documents on the Web and email the URL instead of the file. If you don't
have that option, email your correspondents first and ask them if they can handle a large
attachment of that format.
2.6. Page Layout
2.6.1. General Rules
It is a well – known fact that words look different and are harder to read on a computer
screen than on paper. This happens mainly because the screen resolution is not as good as that
of the paper. Your recipient's email reader may also impose some constraints upon the
formatting of the mail, and may not have the same capabilities as your email software. All
this means that the layout of an email page is different from the layout of a paper document
page. The aspects to be considered are the following:
* Paragraph length. Email messages are frequently read in a document window with
scrollbars, which makes it harder to visually track long paragraphs. Under the circumstances,
you should consider shortening your paragraphs to no more than 3 sentences each.
* Line length. Some email readers do not automatically wrap (adjust what words go on
what line). This means that if there is a mismatch between your software and your
correspondent's in this sense, your correspondent may end up with a run- on message that has
no paragraphs. Furthermore, the “quoted-printable” encoding also contributes to the line-
length problems. If a line is longer than 76 characters, it is split after the 75th character and
the line ends with the “=” sign. Therefore, people whose email reading software can
understand quoted-printable encoding will probably have the lines automatically
reconstructed, but others will have problems reading the message. There are even email
readers that truncate everything past the eightieth character. Consequently, the safest way is
to keep your lines under seventy characters long, in order to leave sufficient space for the
indentation or quote marks your correspondents may need to quote pieces of your message in
their replies.
* Terse prose. In spite of all temptations to be explicit, keep your email short. If your
correspondents want more information, they can ask for it. However, if you are sending a
report to many people, you may need to put more detail into the email so that you aren't
flooded with questions from everyone on the recipient list. The general rule is: the fewer the
people on the recipient list, the shorter the message.
* Quoting documents. If you are referring/answering to previous email, you should
explicitly quote that document in order to provide context. You can do this very easily by
pressing the “Reply” button. The greater-than sign (>) is the most conventional way to quote
someone else's email. For example:

> Have you talked to the thermo guys about whether

> they are ready to go with the 3“ pipes or
> do they want to wait and check out the 2” ones
> first?

I talked to them about it the other day, and they want to see
the 2” ones before they make up their minds.

42
 Always include the original message after your response, not before. If you put the
original message at the end, your readers don't have to look at it unless they don't understand
the context of your response.
2.6.2. Acronyms, Jargon, and Domain Names
* The most widely used acronyms in email writing are:
- ASAP: as soon as possible
- BTW: by the way
- CU: see you (good-bye)
- FAQs: Frequently Asked Questions
- HTH: Hope this helps
- TIA: Thanks in advance
- FYI - For your information
- IMHO - In my humble/honest opinion
- RTM - Read the manual (“manual” refers to any documentation)
- LOL - [I] laughed out loud [at what you wrote]
- RSN - Real soon now
- ROTFL - [I am] rolling on the floor laughing [at what you wrote]
- NRN - No response needed
- <g> - grin
- <hug> - hug .
* Elements of jargon sometimes used:
- spam - unsolicited email sent to many people simultaneously (commercial or political).
- bounce - a message that was returned to the sender, either because the email address
was incorrect or because there was a configuration problem on the receiver's end. This
can also be a verb: I tried sending email to Mabel, but it bounced. I guess she doesn't
work there any more.
- distribution list - a single email address that resends to many others, allowing a
discussion to continue easily among a group of participants. Also called emailing lists
or listservs (from LIST SERVers).
- bot – a piece of software that acts on behalf of and in place of a remote human (from
roBOT).
- mailbot - a piece of software that automatically replies to email.
- listbot - a piece of software that manages distribution lists. Also called a listserver.
- to post – to send to a distribution list or Usenet newsgroup, i.e. to a quasi-stable group
of people.
- flame - an electronic message that is particularly hostile. It can also be a verb.
- to lurk - to read messages anonymously (in either a mailing list or Usenet newsgroup).
- to ping – to test to see if the other person is there/awake/available.
* Domain names. The domain name is the structure that follows the @ sign in an email
address, like aol.com or arc.nasa.gov. The domain names have different words, separated by
periods, that indicate different levels of organization. The size of the organization increases as
you go from left to right. For instance, the domain arc.nasa.gov stands for Ames Research
Center, which is part of NASA, which is one of many U.S. government entities. In other
words, the left-most word is the name of the actual computer that handles the mail.
Three-Letter Top-Level Domains. The last word, also called the top-level domain, refers to
your affiliation. The most commonly used three-letter Top-Level Domains (TLDs) are:
.com (Commercial business, a company): ibm.com, ford.com
.net (Network provider, Internet Service Provider): webtv.net
.gov (U.S. governmental agency): whitehouse.gov, nasa.gov

43
.edu (U.S. educational institution): stanford.edu
.org (Non-profit institution): redcross.org
.mil (U.S. military): army.mil
.int (International): itu.int

Two-Letter Top-Level Domains represent country codes. Examples:

.ro(Romania): agroturism.ro
.us (United States): washington.k12.ia.us
.uk (United Kingdom): tvr.co.uk
.fr (France): tele2.fr
.de (Germany): sgi.de
.it (Italy): palermotravel.it
.jp (Japan): hitachi.co.jp

Some countries frequently have some meaningful structure in the next-to-last word in their
domains. For example, ac is short for academic in the United Kingdom, New Zealand, and
Japan. Oxford University, for example, is ox.ac.uk.
Universities in Europe frequently have the word uni in their domains, the short for
university. Australia uses edu for its universities, as in usyd.edu.au.
Commercial entities frequently have co in the next-to-last word in their domain. For
example, Hitachi Japan is at hitachi.co.jp.
United States two-letter domains usually have the two-letter state or territory abbreviation
right before the .us. For example, the city of Palo Alto in California has the domain city.palo-
alto.ca.us. Children's schools in the United States frequently have the word k12 in them, the
short for Kindergarten through 12th grade, whereas Community colleges frequently have cc
as the next-to-last word in the domain.
The UK also uses
* plc and ltd for businesses
* gov for governmental sites
* mod for Ministry of Defence
* net for networks
* nhs for the National Health Service
* org for non-commercial organizations
* sch for schools
Note that, unlike in the US, “school” in the UK means ONLY pre-university institutions, what
in the US would be called K-12.

France uses
* asso for associations
* barreau for barristers (lawyers)
* cci for Chambers of Commerce
* cesi for Centers of Secondary Industrial Education (if I translated it correctly)
* dXXX department numbered XXX (geographic region sort of like a U.S. county)
* gouv government
* presse press (e.g. newspapers)
* tm trademark

There are a number of sub - domains that have been defined in the us domain, including:
* fed.us for federal government
* dni.us for Distributed National Institutes

44
 * nsn.us for Native Sovereign Nations for various Native American tribal entities
* isa.us or Inter-State Authorities (like port authorities)
* uscourt.gov.us for federal courts
* state.XX.us for state government
* tec.XX.us for technical schools (in state XX)
* ci.YY.XX.us or city.YY.XX.us for city government (in city YY)
* co.ZZ.XX.us or county.ZZ.XX.us for county government (in county ZZ)
* cog.XX.us for Council Of Government, for cross-jurisdictional governing bodies (like
water quality or regional transportation boards)
* district.XX.us or dst for for administrative districts that cross city or county boundaries
(like school, water, or sanitation districts sometimes do)
* lib.XX.us for libraries
* mus.XX.us for museums
* gen.XX.us for general, non-business state-wide organizations

2.7. Summary. The Basics of Netiquette

Netiquette (Network Etiquette) has been defined as “using technology effectively to
communicate with others both personally and professionally with knowledge, understanding
and courtesy.” (Sherwood 37)
In other words, it has to do with the common courtesy and the socially acceptable behavior
specific to a civilized society where humans interact with one another. In terms of courtesy,
cyberspace is not different from direct interaction. Therefore, how you will be perceived,
your credibility and your level of professionalism and ethics will be judged by how you
communicate with others online. Failing to observe a minimal set of courtesy rules means to
be thought of as rude, lazy, arrogant or uneducated. If you are online for commercial
purposes, lack of proper Netiquette may very well deter those who otherwise may have
considered doing business with you.
Specialists in online communication have agreed upon the following ten basic rules of
Netiquette, meant to ensure effective and civilized interaction:
1. Learn the basics. Dale Carnegie, a notorious XXth century American educator, stated
that “There are four ways, and only four ways, in which we have contact with the world. We
are evaluated and classified by these four contacts: what we do, how we look, what we say,
and how we say it.” (Carnegie 67)
The minimal online basics you need to become familiar with in order to be taken seriously
in your online communications are:
1. Do not type in all caps. Typing in all caps is considered yelling or screaming online.
Those who type in all caps are perceived as lazy and not being considerate of those
who will have to read their e-mail. Moreover, various studies on the topic reflect that it
is more difficult and takes longer to read text that is typed in all caps. Searching for
words is faster with uppercase characters, but reading of continuous text is slower
(Vartabedian, 1971), perhaps because interline masking is greater with uppercase (Nes,
1986). In addition, lowercase enhances reading efficiency because word shape is
helpful in word recognition (Rudnicky & Kolers, 1984).
2. Do not leave the Subject: field blank. Always fill it in with a brief and concise
description of the content of your e-mail. This is very important in helping those you
communicate with organize and manage their e-mail. Avoid using all caps or all small
case, terms such as Hi, Help or Please Respond, or writing the recipient's name in the
Subject: field, as you may be misidentified as a spammer and your e-mail deleted.
3. Refrain from formatting your e-mail with colored text and background colors or
images in your everyday communications. Your color and formatting choices can make

45
 your e-mails impossible to read. In addition, formatting could make your e-mails
difficult to reply to without having to go through a procedure to convert your e-mail to
plain text first. Many times when your correspondents hit Reply they have to deal with
your formatting carrying over to their reply, which makes communicating with you
unnecessarily difficult. Consequently, they probably will not go through the trouble of
converting your e-mail just to read and answer it, and they will choose to disregard
your message.
4. When you send the same e-mail to a group of people, as a courtesy to those you are
sending to, list all of the recipients e-mail addresses in the BCC field. When an e-mail
address is designated in the Blind Carbon Copy field, the recipients will get a copy of
the e-mail while their e-mail address remains invisible and protected from the view of
the other recipients of the e-mail. Thus, you avoid exposing your contacts’ addresses to
strangers. Long lists of e-mail addresses at the beginning of any e-mail is an immediate
sign that the sender is either a novice/Newbie - or doesn't care to respect other people’s
privacy. We should not forget that email addresses are like phone numbers: only the
owners can decide whether to make them public or not. By sending mass mails to a list
of recipients, you have made that decision for them, which is an invasion of privacy
5. Definitely avoid forwarding dumb jokes or the so – called “chain letters” to people
without their permission. By doing so, you fill up their inbox, use other's resources
unnecessarily and may even cause other important e-mail to bounce. Besides,
remember that most people find these emails annoying or offensive. Before you
forward an e-mail that appears good intentioned with an incredible story that instructs
you to “read and share” with everyone you know, first check if it is not a hoax.
6. Never give out phone numbers or personal information without confirming you are
communicating with a trustworthy correspondent. Never give out personal contact
information of others without their specific permission to do so.
7. Make a reasonable effort to search a Web site for the information you are looking for –
“Frequently Asked Questions” or “About Us” sections may give you the answers you
seek - before you waste the site owner's time by e-mailing for information that is
readily available on their site. If you do not find what you are looking for, search for
the appropriate contact area for your question. Do not just click on the first e-mail link
you come across and blurt out your question(s). If you do, don't be surprised if your e-
mail goes unanswered when the information is easily found on the site.
8. Do not use Return Receipt Request (RR) for each e-mail you send because you want to
know when someone opens your e-mail. This feature is not only annoying to the
recipient, but it is also intrusive. The recipient should have the privacy to determine
when/if they want to open, read and reply. RRs should be reserved for those instances
where it is critical to each side knowing the e-mail was opened. Such instances would
include legal and important business issues. Keep in mind opened doesn't mean read
and that the recipient can decline an RR request so you will not be notified of their
actions.
9. Understand that if you do not have the desire to learn and do not make the effort to
understand the “culture” of the technology in which you are participating, you will not
be taken seriously by your fellow Netizens (citizens of the Network). So, if you
happen to receive messages that bluntly draw your attention about some mistake or
blunder, do not fire back. Rather use situations like this as an opportunity to learn what
you are doing wrong so you do not annoy or offend others and can have a civilized
online contact.
10. If you receive a nasty e-mail, do not respond immediately, or don’t respond at all.
People are very bold and overly critical on the other side of this screen, not hesitating

46
 to say nasty things, just to feel self-important. If you do not have something nice or
constructive to say, or at the very least sternly professional just press Delete.
11. Keep in mind that all private e-mail is considered to be copyrighted by the original
author. If you post private e-mail to a public list or board, or forward it to an outside
party, you must include the author's permission to post the material publicly. Not doing
so can get you into conflict with your friends and associates. Therefore, always ask for
permission before forwarding or posting any private emails.
12. Always minimize, compress or “zip” large files before sending. Get in the habit of
compressing anything over 200,000 bytes (200K). There are several types of file
compression software available for these purposes. Do not send unannounced large
attachments to others. More importantly, when sending business files, do so only
during business hours, always compress and send at a prearranged time.
13. Do not forward virus warnings! Virus warnings received from others are generally
hoaxes. If an e-mail tells you to forward to everyone you know, delete it immediately.
Also ignore those forwarded e-mails instructing you to delete files on your computer -
they could be critical files that your computer needs to operate. Always warn friends if
you know that your computer has a virus that you accidentally may have passed on to
them. Rely only on your virus software and your software provider's Web site for
accurate information. With the advancement of technology, it is possible to get a virus
without even opening an e-mail. Several of the latest viruses actually use email
addresses extracted from your address book or inbox to send the virus and propagate
itself to all those listed with your name in the From: field. The latest viruses can send
out the virus with your friend's names in the From: field or any combination of e-mail
addresses found on your system! Under these circumstances, the need for a 24/7 real-
time virus protection software is no longer a choice, but a responsibility to remain
virus free. You will also need to update your virus files regularly. Check for updates
every time you log on so that your computer is protected from the latest releases or use
the automatic update feature of your virus software.
Basics for virus protection:
* Get an active program that is always ON. This will catch any viruses as they are
being downloaded so they can immediately be quarantined and cannot infect your system.
* Update your virus patterns daily or every time you log on. These updates can be
downloaded from the Web site of your virus software manufacturer. Most software has a
scheduler to tell your computer to do this automatically. You need to ensure your system is
protected from the latest viruses which may have just been discovered since last you were
online.
* Never click on any attachment or a .exe (Happy99.exe, free stuff, or click here) file
attached within an e-mail without making sure the attachment has been checked for
viruses, even if the e-mail appears to come from someone you know very well. The
attachment may be virus generated and extracted your friend's e-mail address off another
infected computer. On the other hand, your friend may unknowingly be infected and not
aware of the virus that has just spawned an e-mail that has their name on it and is
addressed to you.
2. Perception is the only reality online. One of your main concerns when communicating
online should be about how your correspondents perceive you. The following suggestions
will ensure your favorable perception:
* Start your e-mail with brief and concise Subject: which accurately presents the content
of your email. The Subject: field is not the place to ask questions or to contain your
comments. You should also refrain from using an old e-mail message and pressing “Reply” to

47
type about a new subject, as this is viewed as lazy and inconsiderate for the person on the
other side.
* Always start your e-mail with Hello, Hi, Dear or whatever you are comfortable with and
works for you and the name of the person you are emailing. Use a greeting that reflects your
personality and shows some interest and courtesy to the person on the other side. Remember
that to just blurt out your demands or questions without a greeting comes off as demanding or
bossy. Under any circumstances, think of your e-mail as a serious communication tool, not an
excuse to forget about being courteous or friendly.
3. Always spell check your e-mail, proofread for errors, capitalize your sentences and use
appropriate punctuation and grammar. Poor spelling makes such a strong negative impression
that it can distract the recipient from the content of your message, however captivating it may
be. Especially in business correspondence, proper formatting is crucial to building your
credibility. Failing to spell – check or capitalize your sentences is insulting to the other party,
as it clearly suggests they are not worth the time it would take for you to communicate
properly with them. Not using proper structure (no punctuation, all caps or all small case)
will also be a strong indication of your level of education and professionalism. Also refrain
from using multiple exclamation or question marks. As they may give the impression that you
are sarcastic and condescending. To make your e-mails readable, type in complete sentences,
create new paragraphs when the subject matter shifts, and always take the time to review your
e-mail before clicking “Send”.
4. Always end your e-mails with Thank you, Sincerely, Best regards, or some other closings,
according to the context.
* Particularly when you request information or ask something of the one you are e-mailing,
have the common courtesy to thank them in advance (TIA) and sign off your e-mail
appropriately. To click the “Send” button without even typing your name is impersonal, terse
and demanding. If you don't want to type your name for every e-mail, incorporate it into your
signature file that is automatically appended to the end of every e-mail.
* Never just forward e-mail without a comment as to why you are forwarding. To forward
without comment is considered bossy, lazy and rude. Always let the recipient know why you
are forwarding an e-mail, including what you need them to respond to or what action is
required by them.
* If you are e-mailing for support, asking a question or requesting assistance from the other
side, don’t forget to thank the recipient. It is very easy to come off as bossy in e-mail, and
people do not react positively to those who are pushy. So, by sending e-mail that blurts out a
question or demands a response without including a closing such as appreciate your help or
thanks in advance, you determine the person on the other side not to respond promptly, take
you seriously, or possibly not even care to respond at all. Then, when someone you e-mailed
for assistance does respond and take the time to help you, take a moment and send a reply e-
mail thanking them for their assistance. This only takes a moment and will be greatly
appreciated by the person on the other side. Last, but not least, by responding promptly you
will leave a positive impression with those you communicate with.
5. Use Instant Messaging (IM) properly with consideration for the person on the other side.
Many of the concepts that apply to e-mail apply to Instant Messaging. Here, the key is also
courtesy and clarity in your communications.
* First and foremost, always think about when and where is the most appropriate time to
IM. Doing so during meetings, while on the phone with another person or at activities where
your attention is expected is inconsiderate.
* Start by always asking if the person you are IM - ing is available and if it is a good time
to chat. If the person you want to IM is busy, ask them when they will be free. On the other

48
hand, if you are busy and cannot chat, let the other person know and advise them when you
can connect at a later time so that they can have your full attention.
* Try to communicate briefly and succinctly. After all, IM is meant for brief
communications. If the topic is long or complicated ask when you could give a call on the to
discuss the topic further.
* Use IM for casual topics or informational briefs. Serious topics such as condolences are
not for IM. Certain topics and situations require face-to-face meetings or, at the very least,
telephone call or card stating your feelings.
* IM is not an excuse to forget your manners and education. Check your spelling and
grammar as much as possible.
* If you are not a smooth multi-tasker, do not venture into multiple IM sessions and leave
people hanging while you communicate with others. If you cannot give someone your full
attention, schedule another time to IM. Leaving others hanging while you chat with others is
wasting the other person's time and gives them the impression you do not feel their time is
valuable.
* Learn how to use the features of your IM program. Use the “Busy” and “Away” message
features to let people know what your status is and avoid misunderstandings about your
availability. For those that don't take your “Busy” and “Away” messages seriously, use the
“Ignore” feature that allows you to block communications from anyone you choose.
* Never IM under an alias to take a peek at friends' or associates' activities.
* Take into consideration who you are communicating with to determine the acronyms and
emoticons that you can use - if at all.
* As with e-mail, IMs can be saved and sent to others. Consequently, don't type what you
would not want to be passed around.
* In the filed of business, try to remain professional even though IM is by nature a more
casual environment. Keep in mind that the quality of your messages will reflect on your
perceived credibility. A spelling and grammar check is imperative in any form of business
communications regardless of the medium used. For the sake of effectiveness, resist the
temptation of multiple IM exchanges at a time. It is better to limit yourself and communicate
the right message than to confuse messages or tone between interlocutors.
6. When replying to e-mails always respond promptly and edit out unnecessary
information from the message you are responding to. Don't let your correspondents wonder if
you received the e-mail or if you are going to respond to their messages. Think about how
quickly you would return a phone call or voice mail. Except emergencies such as health
problems or lack of connectivity, always respond as soon as you can. Edit out unimportant
parts of the e-mail you are responding to and respond point by point.
7. Do not spam! Never send anyone an e-mail about anything (especially your product or
service) if the recipient did not specifically e-mail you for that information and you are
responding to their request. E-mailing strangers is not an acceptable way of extending your
business. Or, even worse, to do so and also include an attachment that the other side didn't
ask for not only shows lack of respect for those you are e-mailing and will most certainly
have a negative impact on your reputation and future business potential. This situation
includes not only commercial sales, but also “send to all your friends” e-mails. Remember
that spammers, (people who send junk e-mail) are looked at as lazy, obnoxious, unethical,
and unable to conduct their business properly. Moreover, they can be reported to their Web
site hosting company. Their ISP will cancel their account upon receipt of spam complaints or
ensuing mail bombs. Therefore, if you are not sure about how to market your product or
service online within established guidelines, hire a professional to help you out and keep you
out of trouble.

49
 8. Remember that you are what you write. It is already common knowledge that how you
communicate will be an indication of the kind person you are. Refrain from sending e-mail
with foul, threatening or abusive language. No matter how rude someone may be to you, or
how offended you may be by another's opinion, don't answer in the same manner. Always
state your opinion clearly and concisely, without personalizing an issue. If you have
mistakenly offended or have misinterpreted what another person wrote, do not hesitate to
apologize.
Such vocal and nonverbal clues as eye contact, tone of voice and body language, which we
take for granted when communicating in person, are not available in the e-mail, we have to
make extra efforts to work on our writing skills. Use emoticons and acronyms when you feel
it necessary to convey emotions. If you are unsure of someone's intent or meaning, ask them
before making assumptions and accusations that you may regret.
Finally, keep in mind when in newsgroups or message boards that you are in a global
space and, therefore, there are rules you need to know and observe before you post.
9. Don't fall for flamers or ‘trolls’. ‘Trolling’ is the practice of sending obviously offensive or
brutally untruthful messages. When you see posts or receive e-mail that is offensive or rude,
do not become involved, giving satisfaction to flamers that do these things on purpose. Be
aware that it is part of being online to get e-mail from others who may not be happy with
something you said, have a difference of opinion or who are simply misinformed. Reply with
understanding and courtesy and know that not everyone will have the same ideas as you do
all the time and there is nothing wrong with that! First, you can try to respond calmly and
professionally to the e-mail point by point. If your reply produces the same violent reaction
from the sender, don't reply again. Simply create a filter in your e-mail program to identify
their e-mail address on the download and send it directly to your trash and avoid future
aggravation.
If unfortunately, you get harassed or threatened, do not hesitate to send a copy of the
offending e-mail to the sender's ISP.
10. Be a genuine Netizen and help the Newbies online.
* Netizen = a positive term used to describe an Internet user who is aware of the culture
and rules governing the Internet.
* Newbie = a somewhat derogatory term used to describe an inexperienced, sometimes
obnoxious user, unaware of the Internet's traditions, and who takes little time to learn them.
One of the most obvious and painful aspects of using technology in communication is the
loss of human touch. It is a sign of kindness and tolerance to share your online information
with those who are new to the online world. Just as in the off-line world, online there is also
an expectation of socially acceptable behavior and common courtesy. Do not consider that
being behind a monitor gives you the excuse to be lazy, rude, crude, or obnoxious. Netiquette
applies to each and every person who is online and using technology.
Learn to communicate your thoughts and ideas clearly and succinctly using the accepted
practices online. Treat others as you would like them to treat you and, if they make mistakes,
don't throw accusations and claims of self-importance. Such an attitude is no productive for
any of the parties concerned.

50