E-mail Rules
Because e-mail is sent at no cost, there is a proliferation of e-mails, the majority of it unsolicited. Unsolicited e-mail is often called “spam.” In the business world, it's sometimes known as Unsolicited Commercial E-Mail (UCE).
It's estimated that there are nearly 100 billion e-mails sent per day. A small minority of these e-mails are actually received. The rest are caught by spam filters, which are software programs that recognize the fingerprints of unwanted e-mail and stop delivery. Fortunately, antispam software today is seemingly intelligent and widely available. Businesses have built-in spam filters that catch most of it. In addition, there are federal laws that attempt to regulate e-mail delivery.
In 2003, an extensive set of laws was enacted to establish standards for what can and cannot legally be sent via e-mails. The long name for the law is Controlling the Assault of Non-Solicited Pornography and Marketing Act, or the CAN-SPAM Act. The law is enforced by the Federal Trade Commission. In essence, CAN-SPAM says that bulk e-mailers must:
Include a relevant subject line
Include a legitimate physical address of the advertiser and/or publisher
If the content is of adult nature, include a label indicating so
Provide a method of unsubscribing to, or opting out of receiving, future e-mailings from the sender
Honor opt-out requests within ten days of receipt
Use opt-out lists for compliance only and not resell them
Spam filters work well to reduce unwanted e-mails. However, some spammers attempt to get around them by sending e-mails from legitimate e-mail addresses, such as bobsmith@ibm.com. It's called spoofing. It's like receiving an envelope addressed to you from IBM, then opening it to discover a get-rich-quick scheme from Nigeria. Some spam filters can catch this trick. Your employer's Internet administrator can explain more about how to avoid being deceived by spoofers and other e-mail tricks.
In addition, individuals and companies can sue senders and even their Internet Service Providers (ISPs) for sending unsolicited e-mail, and addresses cannot be “harvested,” that is, picked up unsolicited from the Internet. The intent is that receivers must opt-in to, or ask to be placed on, an e-mail list. Your customers can ask to subscribe to your newsletter; you cannot just search the Internet for the e-mail addresses of people you think might be interested in your newsletter.
In addition to laws that govern the sending of e-mails, there is etiquette. Your employer may be sending out thousands of automated e-mails, such as a monthly newsletter or weekly update, but much of your e-mailing will be to customers and suppliers. How can you make sure that you don't annoy recipients with your e-mail? By following e-mail etiquette. Here are some suggestions.
E-mail as you want to be e-mailed.
Clearly make your point.
Reread messages before you send them.
Quote all or part of the original message when replying so your response is considered in context.
Be careful of irony and other humor that may not be understood when written.
Don't forward e-mails without editing them down to their essence.
Send the e-mail in plain text unless you know the receiver prefers HTML.
DON'T SEND ALL-CAPS E-MAILS; IT'S CONSIDERED SHOUTING!
Ask for permission before sending huge attachments, as some systems will truncate or not deliver them.
Avoid smilies and other emoticons in business e-mails.
Use an appropriate commercial e-mail account to send business messages. Don't use HotMail, Yahoo!, Gmail, or other free accounts. Not only do they look unprofessional, but they also are scrutinized more closely by spam filters. Your message may get lost.
Popular e-mail systems allow an ending message, called a signature, to be automatically appended to outgoing messages. This is a useful feature that can benefit sales. The signature isn't your graphic signature (unless you want it to be), but a short list of contact information, usually with a short sales message.
Your signature should be long enough to give vital information, but short enough to not be ignored. For example, if your customers don't typically use the fax line for communication, leave it off of the signature and only add it to the message if needed. The same goes for your company slogan or address. Only include what is useful to the receiver of your e-mail.
You can have alternate signature files in most e-mail management programs. You can have one automatically appended per e-mail account as the default, or you can choose among a few of them based on the recipient's needs. In addition, advanced e-mail programs can allow you to be more creative with your signature. Your employer can help you develop and use an appropriate signature for your outgoing e-mail.
