October 8th, 2012
by Lorrie Thomas
(I humbly admit that I too have been found guilty of what I am about to complain about…)
This is a cry for netiquette help!
My work day includes answering and sending emails, responding to Google chat messages, monitoring client’s Facebook work and having professional conduct via LinkedIn.
And as much as I am a fan of fast communication, I am really getting tired of lack of email etiquette..NETiquette. Getting sloppy replies to emails from smartphones is just looking SLOPPY. Think about it professionals – you do not want to have your personal or organization’s brand look sloppy!
If I am out (inbetween meetings) I do answer a lot of internal emails with my team so momentum is not lost. I am making a personal pact to make more time for “in front of the computer” time so my messages internally and externally can be more thoughtful.
My thoughts:
1. When conducting personal business a greeting still matters. Dear ___, or Hi ___,
2. Email subject lines can help manage messages.
3. Email signature messages help people easily contact you and reinforces professionalism.
4. Smartphone replies tend to be typed like texts which can look sloppy.
5. When messages are replied too quickly, thought is often omitted and this can equate to scheduling snafus, communication confusion…both equal more time spent…
Marketing and communications go hand in hand. Take time to think about how your communications online look to your peers and professional contacts. A little self-help in this department can make a big professional difference.
Miguel Salcido
(October 10th, 2012 at 6:41 pm)
Hahahaha, love this post! I hate how sloppy people get. Now I’m not perfect but I feel like I pay way more attention to stuff like this than 80% of the people I come across each week.
For #1, I don’t always do that, especially if there’s only one recipient on the email. But when there are more than one person on the email you HAVE TO address your email to someone. Even if that someone is “Hey Team,” or “John and Sara,”. And I’ll often send it to multiple people and address certain people specifically by addressing their name and saying what I need to say, then a line break, and I address the next person and so on.
And OMG, #2 drives me CRAZY. My biggest pet peave is when people keep replying to an old email string that has NOTHING to do with the topic we are on now. C’mon people! Start a new email, with a descriptive and well thought out subject line, for every new topic.
Lorrie Thomas Ross
(October 11th, 2012 at 6:59 pm)
Thanks Miguel! Glad to know that I am not alone! I feel like an old lady sometimes with these rants but professionalism makes a BIG difference! Hope all is well, virtual marketing hugs!