Internet Etiquette Better Communication Through Courtesy By Traci Matt ASSOCIATE EDITOR Make no mistake—Internet commu- nication is here to stay and in the business world it’s time to learn how to do it right. But who’s making the rules? When writ- ing an e-mail, does strict business letter etiquette apply? Or is it more like a phone call or sticky note? Should every instant message close with your name? When are you crossing the line with for- wards and blogs (online diaries)? Experts—yes, there are e-etiquette experts—agree on a few main points when it comes to cyber communication. Common courtesy and practice of the Golden Rule top the lists. This includes always writing a concise subject head- ing which describes the topic of the cur- rent e-mail (not the one you wrote six months ago and have been sending back and forth). Unless it’s vital to maintain a flow of thought through a number of prior messages, attach only the most recent and delete the rest. Although it need not be formal, always include a salutation and closing with e-mail. Most e-mail tools have an automated signature function which will attach a pre-written name, title, company name, and other contact information to your outgoing mail. The “netiquette” experts also agree that more than five signature lines is a waste of time and resources. For example, include the phone numbers for all your European and Asian offices only when necessary, not for every reader. Another common courtesy is to avoid all caps when typing; capitaliz- ing an entire word or words implies to the reader that you are yelling and is considered impolite. It can also be confusing, and makes the e-mail difficult to read. It defies reason that written com- munication can be misinterpreted, but e-messages are usually composed and read in haste which can cause problems. My former pastor always wisely advised face-to-face communi- cation on touchy issues because with- out voice inflection and body lan- guage, emotional words are easily misinterpreted. One “netiquette” expert advises using emoticons—or smileys—to avoid miscommunication. If I write, “That was easy,” and include a red- faced emoticon, you could be fairly sure I was being sarcastic. Without the smiley, you might think I was serious, or even bragging. Just the Facts, Please Forwarding of jokes, gossip or per- sonal business have no place in a work environment according to Ann Marie Sabath, author of “Business Etiquette: 101 Ways to Conduct Business with Charm & Savvy.” “Using the office e-mail system to cir- culate jokes, pass along nonwork-related gossip, or conduct other private corre- spondence is unethical and may cost you your job!” she writes. “It can usually be tracked—even if you press ‘delete’ after sending your message…your company may be liable for information—or disinformation—that ‘leaks’ into the far reaches of cyberspace inadvertently.” If you’re prone to use e-mail for- wards as a way to make the world a bet- ter place, please resist. No dying child wants your get well cards, the FCC is not planning to nor does it have the authority to tax your e-mail, nobody has awakened in a bathtub of ice after some- one stole their kidney, and Madalyn Murray O’Hair is not using her influ- ence from the grave to make it illegal to say “God” on American airwaves. You have not been “specially selected” for anything. If you still want to believe the exciting forward you’ve just received, resist the urge long enough to go to www.snopes.com and check its “urban legend” status. (If you’ve ever received an i-Pod for sending a forward to your friends, let us know and we’ll print a retraction.) If you can’t help yourself and must share something, don’t include your entire address list in the TO: field; rather, learn to use distribution lists or send blind carbon copies. Of course, never forward a private message without the sender’s permission. Nothing is Sacred Be realistic about the fact that noth- ing you put on the World Wide Web is private. Private posts are not private. Private e-mails are not private. I tell my children that if they have any political aspirations they need to be very, very careful what they blog, or e-mail, or write an instant message about, because it may come back to haunt them. Those Mind Your Phone Manners Cell phones. Voice mail. E-mail. They’re great for increasing business productivity, but cause endless irritation over proper usage. The technologies are simply too new for hard and fast rules to have developed. “We are too quick with our approach to the cell phone. We are loud and abrupt,” said Alinda Lewris, president of the International Association of Protocol Consultants. Guidelines are definitely needed, and like all etiquette, technology protocol is based on politeness and consideration for others. Who is going to overhear your con- versation, or get mad when you ignore them in person to talk with the disembodied someone on the phone? How busy is the person listening to your voice m