History could record e-mail as the greatest invention of the modern era for all the difference it might make to our lives. How much difference it will make remains to be seen, it is largely at the mercy of spam right now.
E-Mail in a Business Context
Business correspondence in a previous era was carried out with formal letters sent through a typing pool and contained all kinds of strained terminology: "Reference your esteemed communication of the 3rd inst." for example, or "I remain your humble and obedient servant." As if.
Modern communication is nowhere near as stilted. However, you should retain some degree of formality in e-mail until the ice is broken, unwarranted familiarity can cause offence to some people. This can be a difficult point to remember as e-mail is by nature an informal medium, it's almost chatty the way you use it.
Some people adopt an abbreviated style almost like texting, and they don't bother about punctuation or spelling. However, in a business context that could be seriously damaging to the image you wish to convey. Always capitalise letters that ought to be capitalised, in particular "I", and use full stops and commas where they belong. An unstructured sentence not only looks bad, but can be difficult to read and understand. This is about communicating, and it is with clients and prospects so you cannot afford to get it wrong.
In fact, e-mail is a notoriously easy medium for misunderstandings. E-mail does not carry the inflections of voice that are so vital to conveying context. You might say something with a chuckle, but the same words printed on a screen are black and white and unemotional. Re-read what you have typed before you send it to see if there is any other possible interpretation of what you wrote. A judicous use of emoticons, or smilies, is highly recommended.
E-MAIL TIP 1 Suppose you have e-mail going to "you@yourfirm.co.uk" sent on to your own e-mail account with btinternet.com or whoever. Many small businesses do that. However, edit the set-up to show the "Reply To" address as "you@yourfirm.co.uk" instead of "you@btinternet.com". It looks so much more professional.
E-MAIL TIP 2 Find out how to create a "signature file" on your e-mail software. It is a piece of text automatically added to the end of every e-mail you type and send. Include your name and position, perhaps your company postal address and phone number, and a link to the company web site.
E-MAIL TIP 3 Create separate e-mail accounts for business and personal e-mails. Only ever give your private e-mail address to close friends and family, and never let it appear on a web site or bulletin board where it might be picked up by spammers. It is easier to only have to change your business e-mail address and circulate a new one. And, if you change jobs, you don't lose touch with all your friends!
