5 Bad E-Mail Habits to Break Right Now

www.inkthinkerblog.com — Maybe I’m just impatient with the rest of the world because I grew up with e-mail, but I’m seeing some really bad habits lately that are driving me batty. Here’s what not to do when e-mailing anyone, but particularly editors:

1. Put your name in the subject line of every message. Sure, stick it in the first one. No problem. But after “QUERY FROM KRISTEN KING: Insert brilliance here,” you don’t need to put your name in every subject line. Heck, you don’t even need to do it the first time. If you’ve ever, you know, received and e-mail, you’ve probably noticed that the sender’s name appears along with the message subject line. You’re just not that important. Stop putting your name everywhere.

• Insert “Re:” in front of every subject line. The whole point of the subject line is to tell you what the message is regarding, so adding that notation is just redundant. “Re:” is automatically added onto the front of a reply so the person you’re replying to knows that you’re responding to their specific message. When you use it on your initial message, it makes it look like a reply, which is potentially confusing and definitely annoying. It’s also kind of sneaky because it makes it look like you’re trying to trick them into thinking that you already have existing correspondence on the topic, which most editors won’t appreciate.
• Be too lazy to actually sign your e-mail messages. Your signature block exists to provide contact information or your company tagline, not to help you out because you can’t take the extra two and a half seconds to type your name at the end of your message. This is rude:
  

  …and I look forward to hearing from you at your earliest convenience.Sincerely,

  ___________
  Jane Doe, Lazy Writer
  123 No Respect Lane
  Slackerville, USA 12345

  I’d say you should be going the extra mile, but this isn’t even extra. This is standard business procedure. Just sign your name.

• Use emoticons and abbreviations in every message no matter what. I don’t care that your own wit makes you LOL or something is so appalling that your eyes pop like this: 8-0. If you want me to have the same reaction, make sure your writing conveys the humor/shock/whatever–don’t rely on smileys to do it for you. It’s unprofessional, and it’s amateurish.
• Skip the Spell Check because hey, it’s just an e-mail. Actually, poor spelling in e-mail is even more unacceptable than poor spelling in written correspondence because when you’re typing on the computer, you have instant access to resource materials such as Spell Check and online dictionaries. If you don’t care enough to put your best foot forward every time, how can anyone trust you to do a great job?

What rude e-mail habits get your goat?

__________________________________________
www.kristenkingfreelancing.com
Finalist in 2006 Writer’s Digest Best Writer’s Website Contest

Contents © Copyright 2007 Kristen King. All rights reserved.

Contents Copyright © 2006-2014 Kristen King