Write right for e-mail medium

David Angel and Brent Heslop

Faster than a speeding letter, cheaper than a phone call, electronic mail is rapidly becoming the dominant form of business communication. The Electronic Mail Association estimates 30 to 50 million people use e-mail, and the number of users is growing at more than 25 percent per year. Individuals from all walks of life are recognising the benefits of e-mail and connecting to the electronic postal system via the Internet and online services.

It is true that e-mail is often written on the fly without time for leisurely editing and proofing. Conventional paper-based communications, such as letters and memos, take hours or days from the first draft to the final delivery. This simply doesn't work with messages in the fast-paced e-mail environment, where turnaround times are often measured in minutes.

The instantaneous, spontaneous nature of e-mail has inherent dangers. The computer screen is impersonal and makes it easy to be blunt. People feel freer when communicating through e-mail than they do face to face. This lack of inhibition is a double-edged sword; it can be useful for collaboration, but it can also be destructive. The e-mail medium is fertile ground for misunderstandings and unintended hurt feelings. Etiquette and politics are important factors to keep in mind as you write your e-mail messages.

Sending messages that contain insensitive language or impetuous negative responses is called flaming. Emotions and tempers can flare in e-mail communication just as quickly as a flame ignites. You disagree with someone, so you fire back a quick retort. The person at the other end takes offense and sends back an angry message. The result is a flame war, two or more people firing angry messages back and forth. Flaming is even more common in public forums such as newsgroups on the Internet, where messages are subject to little accountability. Here are guidelines to help you keep flaming under control.

• Before you send an e-mail message, ask yourself, Would I say this to the person's face?

• Wait until you have a chance to calm down before responding to an offensive message. Like slipping a letter through the mail slot in a post office box, once you send an e-mail message, you are committed to it.

• Read your message twice before you send it and check to make sure you didn't write anything that might be misinterpreted.

• Don't use abusive or obscene language in e-mail.

• Don't assume every outrageous message is a flame. Flaming isn't always a fighting match. If you think that a message is totally outrageous, it might be a joke waiting for you to add the punch line.

• Indicate to the recipient that you are knowingly blowing off steam when you flame by constructing your message as follows:

Flame On.

message text

Flame Off.

You must always remember that e-mail medium has inherent characteristics that make it a tinderbox for explosive, emotional e-mail exchanges. Well-worded, tactful responses can douse the flames and win back your reader's goodwill.

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