Abby's Email Rant

Since 1995, email has been a part of corporate America. That's when the desktop computer replaced the typewriter (anyone remember those?!). When we got this privilege, we were shown how to send and receive an email but nothing about etiquette.
Since 1999, I have been sharing email sanity through my workshop Slaying the Email Dragon; however, I sometimes don't have time to share my personal pet-peeves about email. So in case you are curious, here are my Top 10 email violations with number 10 being the biggest offender:

1. No subject line at all - I think subject lines are the most important part of an email. It tells the receiver what the message is about so they can prioritize their email inbox. Without one, I think the email isn't important, doesn't deserve my immediate attention or is spam.
2. Sending old unrelated previous messages- I can't stand when I receive an email message with the same subject line as a previous message sent six months ago AND the new message has nothing to do with the previous message! I know they found the old message when searching for my email address and just hit reply.
3. Failing to change the subject line - Those (from #2 above) who send the six month old email, neglect to change the six-month old subject line. Also, those who don't change the subject line in a long thread when the subject has clearly changed!
4. Not signing an email - Especially for business people, every email thread should contain a signature (to include your name, position, organization, mailing address, phone and fax number, etc.) so the receiver knows who you are and where they can reach you. There's nothing more frustrating than wanting to just send a fax and I have to call to get the fax number. Inevitably I get their voice mail and it could be days before I get the information!
5. Not attaching the attachment - Ever send an email without the promised attachment? I have (yes, I am human!) but I try hard not to! It's unprofessional and frustrating to the receiver. It also creates more emails.
6. Calling to ask if I received their email - Email can be instantaneous but it shouldn't be. I think a 24 hour turn-around is business acceptable. If you need something before then, maybe call? Or use the Read Receipt function.
7. People I hardly know who send me: jokes, political editorials, chain letters, etc. I'm all for a good joke or heart-felt picture of a puppy but not a lot of them or from people I don't know well. Tact works here to curb this behavior. If all else fails, create a rule (filter) in your email that dumps that's person's email into the junk folder automatically!
8. Setting up an autoresponder for every email that comes in - I've seen many of them and the only ones I think are appropriate are those letting folks know about your availability (e.g. out of the office or only checking email at certain times of the day.)
9. Showing my email address in group communications - When an entire list of people in a group can be seen in an email's To or Cc line instead of BCC (blind carbon copy), it violates a person's email privacy, enables anyone to copy and paste it into their address book, use it for spam, and/or waste my screen space and paper when printing it. So PLEASE use BCC to send to a large group!
10. No human moments - Dr. Edward Hallowell wrote an article for the Harvard Business Review about the need for more human moments. So once in a while I suggest you abandon your email and pick up the phone to talk to the people who you email with regularly. A little human connection goes a long way for building better relationships.

I hope these thoughts positively influence the way you approach your email. Your reputation relies on it!
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I will be spending the months of January and February studying for an exam so I won't be out there marketing. I am hoping this little offer might help spur interest while I'm studying!
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• Slaying the Email Dragon
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