Number 284 - January 2007

E-Mail: Be Less Annoying
Steve Bass, PC World ".. here are some ways on how to stop being obnoxious with your e-mail. "
I've come to the conclusion that everyone needs to take a test before being able to use e-mail. No, I'm serious. You have to take an e-mail test. If you pass, you get an e-mail license. Proudly hang it on the wall. Screw up--send lots of messages with blank subject lines, say--and your license is pulled. You go on probation and attend mandatory remedial e-mail training.    Why am I being so hardnosed? I have a laundry list of ways people drive me wild with email. I wrote about a few in "Get Relief From Annoying E-Mail," my July, 2006 "Hassle-Free PC" column    www.pcworld.com/howto/article/0,aid,125767,tk,nl_sbxhow,00.asp    But I ran out of room in the print column, so here are some more tips including how to stop being obnoxious with your e-mail. To Whom Am I Speaking?    Sometimes I have absolutely no idea, who's sending me an e-mail, and this is a problem. I mean, I'll say something to an other guy that I wouldn't dream of uttering to a lady my mother's age. [Sorry, Mom.]    Don't share. If you and your live-in (spouse, significant other, whatever) use the same e-mail address, stop it. Extra e-mail addresses are free and consolidating e-mails into one mailbox is confusing the dickens out of me because I never know who I'm writing to.    Use a signature line. Make life. easier for me: Add a signature line with your name and e-ma11 address using the hot-linked mailto:steve-bass@pcworld.com format. It's easter to reply just to you if your e-ma11 was sent to many people; it's also great for when I forward your e-mail--the new recipient doesn't have to cut and paste your address.    Use your real name. Don't get me wrong, I love your beerbelly49832@yourisp.com. The problem is, I haven't a clue who you are. Be a champ and add your real name in the signature line. Do me a favor. don't use initials. Do I Need to Read This Right Now?    Look, I'm a very busy man (or so I tell my wife and editor), and I get tons of e-mail everyday. I need to do e-mail triage--you know, scanning the inbox for the hottest messages and reading them first. But honestly, I can't do this with most e-mail I get. So here's what I recommend:    The subject is... Tell me, clearly and briefly, what your message is about in the subject line. I delete all messages with vague subjects--Hi, Hello, or worse, an empty subject line (oh, do I hate that!). And make sure you don't trigger my spam filter by using all capital letters, exclamation points, and words you typically see in junk e-mail, like "free," "spam," "mortgage," or "Viagra."    Exec summary. Give: me a one- or a two-sentence overview at the start of your e-mail. "I have a complicated issue," you might start out. "involving a Dell, memory cards, and SP2. If you have time to help, I've provided details below."	Save time. Use [NM] or [EOM] (they stand for "no message" or "end of message") in the subject line as a shorthand way of responding with a simple "thank you" or an acknowledgement. This helps reduce the number of e-mails I need to open; many of the people at PC World use the trick and it's increased everyone's productivity. And Your Point Is?    Once I actually open an e-mail, I need to get the point quickly so I can reply to the sender if necessary, then move on to the next one. But lots of the missives I get are, how to say it?, a mess.    Use paragraphs. Obvious, right? Nope. I get e-mails with one long paragraph the length of the Gettysburg Address. Break it up into three or four smaller ones. By the way, my limit is three or four paragraphs; after that I start dozing. [Editor's note: I noticed.] And send a test message to a buddy to make sure your e-mail program isn't removing paragraph returns.    By the numbers. If you have more than one question or point. number them. It makes replying a whole lot easier if I can refer to the numbers.    Subject shorthand. When you reply or forward an e-mail, it's helpful if you stick one or two descriptive words in front of the original subject so the recipient has an idea of what's in store. For instance, I use tags such as "Update," "Confirmation," or "Really Dumb." Miscellaneous Gripes    Think I'm done kvetching? Nope, no such luck. Attachment don'ts. Don't attach anything executable-period. If on the off chance I've asked you to send a program, stick it into a zipped file.    Keep it private. Don't reply to a mailing list with "great idea" or "I agree." Reply privately instead. Select a small part of the original message for context's sake.    Stay plain, Jane. Avoid fancy formatting, gaudy colors, and flowery backgrounds. Two reasons: f11'St, what's cool on your monitor looks like hell on mine; and second, that extra coding increases the download time for folks with slower connections.    Dear [InsertName]. Private note to PR flacks: If you can't use mail merge properly, don't.    Steve Bass is a Contributing Editor with PC World, a 23 year veteran of PIBMUG, and a founding member of APCUG.He's also the author of PC Annoyances: How to Fix the Most Annoying Things about Your Personal Computer, O'Reilly Press. It's available on Amazon at dirt cheap prices.    There is no restriction against any non-profit group using this article as long as it is kept in context with proper credit given the author. The Editorial Committee of the Association of Personal Computer User Groups (APCUG), an international organization of which this group is a member. brings this article to you.
Number 284 - January 2007