An Internet Top Ten
By J. Allen Leinberger

To paraphrase Charles Dickens, the Internet is the best of communications; it is the worst of communications. One politician I know recently told me that while he is a strong defender of the First Amendment right, he sometimes thinks that the Internet goes too far.
Think about it.
Most publications, including the one you’re reading, have checks and balances. Writers have fact checkers and editors and publishers double-check what goes to print. Online I can report on the day aliens abducted Elvis and it goes out to the World Wide Web as fact. How many people get those e-mails I have written about that promise $25 million dollars from the Nigerian Interior Minister. Recently I got one apologizing for the fraudulent e-mails from Nigeria with a promise to send money to cover the loses, from the Nigerian Minister of the Treasury. Like my grandfather always said, “Fool me twice, shame on me.” So, given that, as Marvin Gae sang, “You can only believe half of what you read,” let’s review a few things you can do to at least keep your own computer correspondence straight.
The following list comes from the Robert Half International* survey of common mistakes we all make in sending things out on the Net:

1. A vague subject line.
The subject line not only lets the person receiving the message know what it’s about but also provides him or her with a reason to read it. Some people -- and your boss is probably one of them -- get hundreds of e-mails each day and may not have the time to open each of them. The subject line acts as the window into the message and can also indicate its urgency, so be specific with what you write there.

2. No sign-off.
A weak signature is almost as bad as a weak handshake: Both convey a lack of professionalism. A signature at the end of your e-mail should include your e-mail address, physical work address and phone number. Including these details gives recipients multiple means of contacting you. This information is especially important for people to whom your e-mail might be forwarded or individuals either outside the company or in another office.

3. “Im writing re: the meeting @ 3.”
Many people take a casual approach when using e-mail. But what you write is a reflection of your professional self, so take the time to craft complete sentences, use proper grammar and check your spelling. And don’t depend solely on your computer’s spell-check function, which won’t find misused words; review your e-mail carefully before sending it. (Obviously, this applies to business, not your kids’ texting. Texting is sometimes used in cheating and passing answers in a high school math test, but it is just not professional in the business world. -J.A.L.)

4. Going on and on and on.
This strategy might work for the Energizer Bunny, but your goal when crafting a message should be to keep it short. You don’t want to write the e-mail equivalent of a novel, so get to the point as quickly as possible, using both short sentences and paragraphs. At the same time, you don’t want to write too brief of a message, which could make you appear curt.

5. SHOUTING IT OUT.
Some people like the ease of typing in all capital letters. What they may not realize is this is the online equivalent of shouting, so avoid the temptation of using the caps lock button.

6. Striking the wrong note.
Unfortunately, it’s easy for tone to be lost with the written word, especially in shorter messages. An attempt at humor, for instance, maybe read as something offensive or inappropriate. If you’re not sure how something you wrote will be interpreted, err on the side of caution and leave it out. (I've had this happen too often. A face-to-face meeting on important matters is always best. -J.A.L.)

7. Weighing others down.
If your e-mail inbox is continually clogged, you know how frustrating it can be to receive large attachments, especially when you don’t want them. And, according to one survey, executives agreed, ranking the receipt of large, unsolicited files as the most annoying aspect of communicating via e-mail. Limit the distribution of massive files to people who absolutely need them. (The reverse is also true. I can’t tell you how many people apologize for not answering my e-mails because they haven’t cleared their file. -J.A.L.)

8. Sending to the wrong box.
Before you send a message, always double-check the list of recipients. Many e-mail programs automatically fill in information you’ve previously typed, such as the e-mail addresses of frequent contacts. If you have multiple people in your address book with similar names, you could mistakenly choose the wrong person and send him or her a message intended for someone else. (This happened to me recently when blast e-mail was sent to me without using the blind copy function. In sending out something else, I accidentally hit the Reply All key on their letter and everything went out to people the original writer had no intention of sending proprietary material to. The results were embarrassing at least and maddening at worse. Sorry Tom. -J.A.L.)

9. Mixing business and pleasure.
When the information is confidential or sensitive, this move could limit your career. Any time you use your work e-mail account, the message should be business-related. After all, you are using your firm’s resources, and the company has the right to monitor your communication. Get to know your organization’s e-mail policy, and have your friends send non-work-related e-mail to your personal account, which you can check at home.

10. Over e-mailing.
Do you find yourself typing a long message in order to avoid confusion on the recipient’s part? Do you hesitate to click Send because you think your contact might forward your message to someone who shouldn’t see it? E-mail is best suited for quick communication, and, in situations like these, it’s wise to call your colleague or speak to him or her in person instead.

One last thought.
Compatibility is another issue that needs to be addressed here as well. I use the Microsoft Office programs because they are supposed to be “cross-platform.” That is, people with both PCs and Macs are supposed to be able to read whatever is sent. This doesn’t always work. A follow-up phone call, or at worst, the fax machine (20th century technology) is advisable.
With e-mail correspondence becoming increasingly important in the workplace, you can only benefit from learning how to craft an effective message. So keep the above tips in mind the next time you sit down at the keyboard.

**Robert Half International Inc. is the world’s first and largest specialized staffing firm with a global network of more than 350 offices throughout North America, South America, Europe and the Asia-Pacific region. For more information about their professional services, you can visit www.rhi.com.