Email Crimes

Email is dying a slow death in the private world; a fatality of texting, Facebook messaging, Twitter and such. However, it is still very alive in the corporate environment. As written interaction becomes increasingly casual and fragmented, the skills associated with more complex communication are breaking down. Are you a perpetrator or a victim of email crime?

COMPOSITION: Some subjects are complicated, and require careful documentation. Start with an outline of important points to be made, and make them clearly and succinctly. Your audience should not have to sift through paragraphs of circuitous text to figure out what you are trying to say/ask/tell. Neither should they have to backtrack through shotgunned individual messages to piece together the whole story.

SPELLING & GRAMMAR: You may LOL and WTF your way through your text messages, but email communication should be more formal and professional. Use full words and sentences, and double-check your writing with spelling and grammar checks. How you communicate in writing will influence your reputation. Make a positive impact.

PRIVACY: There are some subjects that should not be transmitted over a network via email. Anything you want to ensure is kept private should be handled in a secure manner. Some email files should be password protected. Face-to-face or telephone conversations are still very valuable – especially when subjects are sensitive, or when relationship-building is one of your goals.

RESPECT: Your co-workers and clients deserve respect, which can best be exhibited through personal communication. The very act of sending an email instead of visiting someone’s cubical for a few minutes is not only inefficient, but offensive. If you work in the same office, get off your butt and walk down the hall to talk with them.

Lazy electronic communication can easily become an email crime.  Stay away from the slippery slope.