Read Seth’s Godin’s Email Checklist before you forward that email
October 14, 2008
Email abuse. No one is immune. Every one of us has committed or been victimized by some form of email crime, whether we’ve forwarded chain letters that promise a digital camera if enough people respond, typing messages in ALL CAPS, or writing on e-stationery with a dancing kitten graphic. Marketing guru Seth Godin wants each of us to do our part to stop these abuses by following his handy Email checklist.
Godin’s specialty is marketing, but his advice applies to anyone who uses email on a regular basis (which is pretty much everyone). Most of the reasons are common sense stuff (always include your contact information, write in a font that’s easy to read, don’t make it any longer than it has to be, don’t email when angry, and consider whether a phone call might be more appropriate instead). Godin’s implied golden rule is to only send emails that people actually want or need to get, are in a format that’s easy to read and understand, and that don’t waste the reader’s valuable time.
It wouldn’t hurt to pass this on to your students, too, before they start forwarding emails about how Bubble Yum gum contains spider eggs. If we can teach tomorrow’s generation proper email etiquette, we may stamp out email abuse in our lifetime. -BILL FERRIS
Email checklist via Seth’s Godin’s Blog
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emailSTRIPPER – Not at All What it Sounds Like, Yet Still Cool
Back that Thing Up: Backup to Email
Photo credit: idogcow on flickr
