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Email List Etiquette
Mailing lists are used as forums for teaching,
collaboration, discussion, entertainment, announcements
and more. A message sent to a list will appear in each
subscriber's mailbox, with the sender's name in
the "from" line.
Following are some tips and guidelines for making your
mailing list more productive and enjoyable.
1. Remember you are interacting with people.
Because you only see letters stringing across a screen,
it is easy to forget or ignore that a person sits on the
other side of the network. This can tempt people to
excess verbal boldness or emotional explosions, leaving
readers angry and hurt. Over the Internet, you should
consider yourself as having a face-to-face conversation
with someone in a crowded room. Cursing and raw abuse are
not appropriate. Keep debate civil, and keep it a debate,
not a slanderous brawl. Always remember behind every
email address is another person.
2. Differentiate between public and private
messages.
The listserv is public space. Personal messages, such as
criticism of a person's writing style or new scarf
should be sent to that person only. To broadcast such
messages on the listserv can embarrass and anger.
Messages for everyone on the list go to oakmont@yahoogroups.com
. But please add a descriptive subjet to your message.
Questions about how the list works (e.g., "How do I
use Digest mode?" and "How do I find out who
else is subscribed to this list?") can be directed
to
Listserv Questions
3. Make subject lines descriptive.
People should have a flavor of the message from glancing
at the subject line. "Hello," is not as good
as, "Changes in Meeting Schedule."
4. Edit the original message in your replies.
When replying to a message, re-send a few summarizing
lines of the original message so the reader will know
immediately what matter you are addressing. The user who
receives dozens of messages a day can easily forget what
he wrote a couple days before. However, do not re-send
the entire original message, especially if long, as it
might be unwanted by the receiver, and an unnecessary
burden for servers.
5. Sign your postings.
It is good practice to include a few lines at the end of
your message indicating your name and e-mail address as
some mail programs do not automatically display such
information. And it is best to keep such electronic
signatures reasonably short.
6. Be brief.
Say your say succinctly. It will have a greater impact
and more people will read it.
7. Write clearly and logically.
Simplicity of expression usually is best. Sudden poetic
bursts intended to "impress" usually do not
impress, and may bother the reader.
8. Be prudent with speculation.
On the internet, rumor can grow extravagant and spread
like fire. Remarks beginning with, "I have a feeling
that . . ." or, "I think that . . ." are
usually suspect.
9. Be cautious with humor and sarcasm.
Typed language is naturally colder than spoken language,
because it is stripped of voice inflections and body
language. Quite easily, humor can be taken as insult,
especially if subtle. Some users prefer to use symbols
that hint at tone, such as the smiley face: :-) It is
safest to frankly note satirical messages.
10. Email lists are as good, and only as good, as the
subscribers make them.
Lists work best when intelligent people bring fresh
knowledge and ideas to the table. New ideas can stimulate
discussion. Trivial or inane comments often kill
discussion. Write meaty, thoughtful things and everyone
will benefit from the list.
This page last updated: Sat Mar 20
18:10:22 2010 16:50:41 2010
We are being hosted by Metropolitan Austin Interactive
Network (MAIN) and want to send them our most sincere
thanks.
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