Definition of Good and Bad e-mail

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E-mail is the short form of 'electronic mail'. Nowadays email is the most popular method of communication in our business world. They are convenient because sending them is fast, emails involve no paper or any other physical material, and they are easy to store. If necessary, the recipients can easily forward or print out the email and share it with other people whom they choose.

An e-mail has three main parts: subject, body and conclusion. The address of the sender and receiver are also required in this process. Users can send messages to single addresses or multiple recipients. The most important information should be included early in the message, and details should be added later.

There is a difference between good and bad e-mails. Good emails have a clear subject, proper punctuation, and its content is clear and short. Bad e-mails contain slang, long paragraphs in their body, and bad use of Bcc (blind carbon copy). Here are example of good and bad email.

Example of Good E-mail

Example of Bad E-mail

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What are some of the worst examples of bad emails you have seen? How/why were they bad? Let me know via the comments section below.

References

Retrieved  March 8, 2015 from https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/cb/00/2d/cb002d1754d8f360a9ceaa839973811a.jpg

Retrived from April 14, 2015 from https://bryantanner.files.wordpress.com/2013/05/bad-email.png

CC, BCC and Salutations

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In my personal opinion proper usage of cc and bcc in your emails is vital to how you want to convey your message. You should always make sure you e-mail the right people, in the right way. The To, Cc and Bcc fields allow you to indicate how your message should be read by the people that receive it (Write Better E-mails, n.d). If you include the recipient's name in the 'To' section, this means you want your recipient to respond to your email because you are addressing it to them directly. If the recipient is in the 'cc' section, this indicates that you want the recipient to be aware of the email (i.e. keep a 'carbon copy' of the email), but do not require a direct response from them. A blind carbon copy, or 'bcc' is used when you wish to send an email to multiple recipients but do not want to disclose the full list to everyone in the email. It is useful when you want to protect the privacy of your recipients to maintain confidentiality.

After the subject, begin the email with a list of recipients as your salutation. It better to mention who the email is sent to and who it is cc'd to. This way the recipients know how to respond to the email. It also adds a personal touch because the recipient knows that you are addressing the email directly to them instead of sending a generic message.

Have you ever used bcc in any of your emails? For what purpose? Let me know in the comments section below.

Reference:

Write Better E-mails.(n.d.). To, cc, and bcc. Retrieved  from http://www.writebetteremails.com/to-

     cc.htm

The Subject and Grammar in E-mail

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In this post I will discuss the importance of subject and grammar in email writing. The subject is the most important part of an email because it is the first thing the recipient sees. It should be a clear and short sentence because an unclear subject confuses the recipient and is a sign of bad e-mail. Avoid empty or confusing words in the subject, for example do not write one word subject lines such as "Help", "Problem", or "Free"(Guffey, Loewy, Rhodes, & Rogin, 2013, P. 153.) Ideally, the recipient should be aware of the main message of the email from only your subject, which is important because your recipient might be too busy to read the entire email. The video below explains how to write effective subject lines:

The use of proper grammar is important in emails. Before sending the email you must check for spelling mistakes, do a proper proofread, and review the entire email via spell check option. E-mails have become a mainstream channel of communication. That's why it's important to take the time to organize your thoughts, compose carefully, and be concerned with correct grammar and punctuation. (Guffey et al., 2013, p. 151).

Do you think it is okay to sometimes use slang or internet acronyms such as 'lol', 'ttyl', 'afk' etc in order to save time? What do you value most in an email, ability to write and send it quickly or an email with proper punctuation and grammar?

References

Lussier, N. (2013, April 30). Effective Email Subject Lines & And How To Write Them [video file].
          Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4cE7TneHbWo

Guffey, M.E., Loewy, D., Rhodes, k., &Rogin, P.(2013). Business Communication Process &
          Product (4th Brief Canadian Edition ed.). Toronto, Ontario, Canada: Nelson Education Ltd.

Closing an E-mail

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In the final part of my blog I will discuss how to properly close an email. If you have a concluding paragraph you should summarize the important information again. If there are attachments, make sure to mention them in the email so that the recipient does not miss it. If you need a response to your email you must also remind the recipient to get back to you in a timely manner.

End the email with a 'Thank you' or a similar salutation and end with your your name. It shows respect to the recipient. Here are some good closing line examples (Opening and closing lines, n.d.):

                            With reference to your letter of 8 June, I ...

                            I am writing to enquire about ...

                           After having seen your advertisement in ... , I would like ...

                           After having received your address from ... , I ...

                           I received your address from ... and would like ...

                           We/I recently wrote to you about ...

                           Thank you for your letter of 8 May.

                           Thank you for your letter regarding ...

                           Thank you for your letter/e-mail about ...

                           In reply to your letter of 8 May, ...

In the last few posts we have learned how important subject and grammar are in email writing. Without these components an e-mail is not good and complete.

Have your opinions on email changed after reading these blog posts? If so, how? What do you agree/disagree with? Let me know in the comments section.

Reference:

Opening and closing lines. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://nvtc.ee/e-

     oppe/Varkki/layout/opening_and_closing_lines.html

The Body of an E-mail

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In my personal opinion the body provides detailed information about the reason for writing. The body paragraphs should be kept simple, short, only include the necessary information. If you need to give a lot of information then break the information into multiple paragraphs. In addition to that, consider using bullet points, numbered list, table, and charts where possible. Graphical elements like these enhance readability much more than plain blogs of texts.

Using bold, italics and underline are also a good way to bring the recipient's attention to the most important sections of the email. Use of proper bold, italics and underline formatting will allow yours recipients to understand the main message of your email by just scanning it, which is very useful if they are busy and do not have time to read the full text. E-mails should cover just one topic, and the total message should be kept under three screens in length. (Guffey et al., p. 151)

E-mail address

 Business E-mails addresses should appear professional. You can use the addresses that show your skills or are related to your job and career. Examples of good email are John.Smith@example.com, Shaikh.Programmer@microtec.com etc. Bad email addresses are those where the person uses their nick name or try to be funny. It is okay within friend circles but should never be used for business purposes or with your professional contacts.

Do you use bold or other formatting in your email? For what purpose have you used them? Do you usually include charts and tables directly within emails or send the as attachments?

References

Guffey, M.E., Loewy, D., Rhodes, k., & Rogin, P.(2013). Business Communication Process & Product (4th Brief Canadian Edition ed.). Toronto, Ontario, Canada: Nelson Education Ltd.