10 Rules to Help Keep You Out Of E-mail Trouble

1. Follow the Golden Rule

   Assume that your e-mail will be printed on the front page of

   the New York Times. If you would be embarrassed or

   concerned, don't send it.

2. Don't e-mail if you can telephone or meet in

   person

   E-mail is not a replacement for personal conversation.

   Comments and suggestions can be said in a conversation that

   suddenly and surprisingly become misinterpreted, embarrassing

   or harmful in an e-mail.

3. Never ever send e-mail when you are angry or tired

   Fatigue will cause you to lose patience and send something

   you will later regret. Never send an e-mail when tired or

   angry.

4. Never joke in e-mails

   What you are sending may seem hysterical to you, but

   don't do it. You never really know the mood of the person

   receiving the email.

5. Take your time in writing e-mails

   The more quickly you send out an e-mail, the more likely it

   will miss the mark. Communication is an art.

6. Don't gossip in e-mail

   Don't use e-mail to gossip about friends or colleagues.

   More often than not, some "well-meaning friend" will

   thoughtlessly forward it to someone you would not have wanted

   to see it, or worse, to the person you are gossiping about.

7. Be gentle

   The old adage "sticks and stones may break my bones,

   but names will never hurt me" does not apply to e-mail.

   Keep a business tone

   in your e-mails. Praise others publicly, but criticize

   privately and in-person.

8. Don't copy everyone

   Keep your distribution groups small. Send e-mails on a

   need-to- know basis. Don't hit "reply to all"

   without thinking.

9. Edit e-mails yourself or ask a colleague to look over

   important e-mails

   E-mail is a form of written communication. Writing has

   rules, they work, use them. Stick with proper grammar.

10. Don't assume that Spell Check will catch every

    error

    Use Spell Check, but don't rely on it...