Email is such a super tool!
It has changed the way we
communicate. I can easily
stay in touch with people
all over the world instantly
by email, where a letter
would take a long time and
a phone call would be too
expensive.
Sadly, this great tool can be
abused. This ruins the
experience for all of us.
With that in mind, here are ten
ways NOT to use email. Please
stay away from these and keep
email the great communication
tool that it is!
1. Do not spam. You've received
the email offers that read,
"Millions of email addresses" for
a cheap price. It sounds good.
But don't do it. Those people
didn't give you permission to
send emails to them. Do not
spam.
Instead, build up a list of
people who have given you
permission to email them. You'll
be better all the way around!
2. Do not flame. Flaming is responding
to spam or an email in an angry
manner.
For some, the privacy of email
becomes the opportunity to be much
more rude than they would in person.
Don't stoop to such levels! If you
have a problem with someone, discuss
it with them in a calm, civilized
manner, whether in person or through
cyberspace.
3. Do not respond to spam. If you
respond to spam, you are doing two
things:
a. You're letting the spammer know
that your email address is valid and
you may receive more email.
b. You're giving the spammer more
reason to spam even more by responding.
Just say no, and hit the delete button.
4. Do not respond to flames. People will
get angry at something and email everyone
in the world to let them know how they
feel.
I remember one time when a hacker hacked
into a list that I was subscribed to, and
sent a bunch of messages to the group.
Well, a bunch of the subscribers got angry
and started sending their flames out to
the group, making the problem that much
worse. All of us ended up with hundreds
of unwanted and duplicate emails.
You've got better things to do than that!
5. Do not expose a large group of email
addresses in your email header. There's a
way to send to a group without exposing
all the email addresses. Simply place the
addresses in the Blind Carbon Copy (BCC)
line of your email program.
That will hide those addresses and shield
those folks from unwanted email.
6. Do not reply to exposed emails. It's
tempting, I knowbut resist the urge to
email all those nice email addresses someone
exposed in sending an email to you.
You don't have their permission, and the
person sending the email obviously didn't
read this article!
7. Do not spread urban legends. No, I didn't
wake up in my bathtub with ice all around
me with one kidney gone and Bill Gates is not
paying me $200 for forwarding an email.
I'm glad someone has a great imagination. I
just wish they'd put it to better use!
8. Do not spread viruses. It's easier to do
than you think.
Someone gave me a virus and fortunately it
was a fairly harmless one. I sent an attachment
to a friend and his antivirus program caught
it. He let me know and I immediately got some
antivirus software and got rid of it.
And he's still my friend! But make sure you're
not spreading viruses through your email.
9. Do not spread hype. "Cough once and make
a million dollars." Okay I made that one up,
but I'm sure you seen others just as
ridiculous.
Like Joe Friday, I want "just the facts."
10. Do not overdo it. I don't want to be
worried to death by one person emailing me
over and over again for no reason. Yes,
sometimes repetition is good, but don't
needlessly clog up email boxes with the
same message over and over.
If it's moving a project or conversation
forward, that's another matter. But even
then, there may come a time when you need
to switch to a chat or instant messaging
format.
Or even use that ancient invention, the
telephone!
Keep email the great experience it can be
and stay away from all these things!
About the Author
Craig Hardee is the webmaster of
http://www.cyberagora.com, Your Internet
Multiplex, spotlighting the resources you
need to make your time online fulfilling,
profitable and fun.