10 THINGS TO AVOID : EMAIL FAUX PAS, ETIQUETTE ET AL

Part 1 of 2

Email is so pervasive in our lives that many people, I’m sure, wouldn’t know what to do with themselves if someone pulled the Internet plug. A few short years ago, email was considered an “unreliable” delivery mechanism, meaning that if you had something of importance to say or send, you’d better use a backup plan to be sure your recipient got it.

No more. Email is routinely subpoenaed in legal cases. It’s considered in many courts to be as good as a written contract and there are several “contract” sites that rely on email for contract execution.

People now receive mail on their cell phones and blackberry’s. While some predicted that SPAM would be a major detriment to the email infrastructure, we’ve managed to handle it pretty well, both from a legislative and technical perspective.

Yet, I never cease to be amazed by what people “do” in email. Whether it’s forwarding something inappropriate or including a vast number of people on a “CC” list or replying to “all” instead of “one”…the list goes on. So, here is the current “Dave Segrove list of things to do and not to do” when it comes to email. Some are just ideas, some are common sense and others are…well, I’ll let you decide.

“DO NOTs”, “GOTCHAs” and other things(in no particular order)

1. WORK AND PLAY DON’T MIX

Do not confuse business and pleasure. In my mind, this has got to be the most ignored and fundamental “rule” when it comes to email. There are several “sub-categories” under this heading.

• Chain Emails

  I may be on your mailing list for some reason and I’m happy to be. But if my relationship with you is business-related, I do not want to see your chain emails. A “chain email” is one that you must forward to 10 or 100 people in order to get the message out, for good luck, to avoid bad luck, to sign a petition…the list goes on. SPAM still accounts for over 90% of all email traffic and chain emails are a big part of that.

  That’s not to say there is no place for some very good chain emails, but consider the recipient. Send it to your friends and family perhaps, but not your business colleagues.

• Jokes, Cartoons Etc

  I’m always amazed at the number of these I get from people I’d never have expected to. I like a good joke or cartoon as much as the next person, and if I get one from a friend or family member, that’s very different. I don’t expect (unless perhaps in rare cases) to receive these from business associates.

  Bottom line: you don’t know whether you might offend the recipient and you don’t know what that might result in.

  Many companies prohibit this sort of traffic as part of their policy, but I see it all the time.

• Pictures, Family Stories Etc

  Sorry gang, but business is business. If we’re friends, then by all means add me to your Facebook list or send me your photos or stories. As a colleague, client or vendor, I shouldn’t be copied on these.

2. DO NOT ASSUME PERMISSION

We may have communicated in the past. I may have received your business card from you in a meeting. Please don’t assume I gave you permission to add me to your mailing list. If you want to add me to your mailing list, send me an email or call me to ask.

In most cases, people are quite happy to join your list, but don’t take it for granted.

3. DO NOT BE CASUAL

If your email is business-related, keep the language thus. Don’t assume a “tone” you would not use in conversation. Email is very subject to misinterpretation, specifically because you cannot hear the voice inflexions of the sender.

4. NEVER EVER USE PROFANITY

’nuff said.

5. DON’T ABBREVIATE

Email is not texting. Sure, you may be emailing from your cell phone or portable device, but that’s your problem. Abbreviations are subject to interpretation. Don’t assume that someone will understand what TTYL or L8R means.

6. BIG ATTACHMENTS

As Internet “pipes” get bigger, so do email attachments. Unless someone’s expecting a big file, either give them some notice or find another way (FTP for example) of getting it to them. Many corporate firewalls and routers will block big messages. You run the risk of not knowing whether it was received or not. Not all email systems will tell you.

Big attachments also fill up mail boxes and may cost money in bandwidth, for either you or the recipient.

7. SHOOTING FROM THE HIP

“Flaming” is an Internet term for an attack on another. While these tend to happen in forum settings, they can happen in emails too. It’s very easy to take offense at a message, type a quick reply and hit send before you’ve had time to take a breath.

Now what?

Remember, in most cases you cannot take it back. You cannot “un-say”. If something upsets you, be careful before replying. In my case, I’ll often type up what I want to say in a word processor. That way, there’s little chance of me sending the message by accident (or on purpose). After I calm down, I can edit or delete what I’ve typed and then copy and paste it into an email.

8. IT WILL OUTLIVE YOU

Copies of email messages are stored all over the place. Don’t assume an email conversation is just between you and the receiver. Don’t send something that might come back to bite you later. Email is legally admissible in many places as evidence. Just because you deleted it from “Sent Items” doesn’t delete it from the Internet.

9. REPLY TO “ALL” / FORWARDING

This can be amusing when it happens. It can also be deadly (business-wise). You receive an email from someone who has copied a group of people. You reply with a comment intended for the sender’s eyes only. You hit “send”.

Hang on, did you replay to “all”…? Uh oh…

I received an email recently from someone who forwarded an email from someone else and I’m pretty sure that I wasn’t supposed to see the original because it wasn’t very nice. In fact, it’s what prompted this article.

Be careful when replying to messages that were sent to a group. Ditto, be careful when forwarding a message to one or more people. Is there something that wasn’t intended for general consumption in there?

10. AN ADDRESS THAT ISN’T “PORTABLE” OR APPROPRIATE

Now, this last item may be determined by your company. If you work for a corporation and use their email system, you are probably expected to send and receive work-related emails with a company address. In nearly every case, you can’t take this with you when you leave.

So, if you are using your company address for something else, you might want to stop doing so. This may be against company policy to begin with, but if you can’t take it with you, are you going to have a problem if you leave?

Use an email address suitable for your business. If you want to use AOL or GMAIL or YAHOO, then do so, but use an address that works and that is appropriate. onehotguy@[emailsystem.com] may be cool for your personal life, but does it work for your new legal practice?

So, there you have it. I’m sure there are many other things that could be on the list. As email evolves, we need to as well. It’s no longer the casual tool a few years years ago.

If you made it thus far, you have my complete admiration. This wasn’t supposed to be a novel when it started…if you email it to anyone, you might want to just send a link…I think that’s appropriate

A SEARCH FOR MEANING : PROFESSIONALISM

"He’s very professional."

"That’s a very ‘professional’ look."

"She’s a real professional."

"That was unprofessional."

These are all comments I’ve heard within the past month (not all directed at myself I hasten to add). On the heels of my last article on the subject of professionalism and being a professional (WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU "DON’T KNOW"…YOU’RE A "PROFESSIONAL"!), I decided to pursue the subject in a little more detail because I’m curious as to what really defines "a professional" or "professional behavior".

According to Merriam-Webster, there are two main definitions:

1. the conduct, aims, or qualities that characterize or mark a profession or a professional person
2. the following of a profession (as athletics) for gain or livelihood

The latter we’re pretty familiar with and I think it’s fair to say that we associated "professionalism" in sports with "sportsman-like" behavior. When a well-known sports pro gets into trouble, the word "unprofessional" usually appears in the descriptions or condemnations somewhere.

So, therein probably lies a possible part of the definition: we expect a certain level of generally-acceptable behavior from those we consider "professionals".

Where the bar is set may be a little vague. As Edward Toupin discusses in his post "Professionalism … How do I get one?", what is deemed "professional" in one industry may not be in another. The term is subject to interpretation and influenced by the environment in which on is expected to operate.

There is a neat little slide show I came across on the Texas Library and Archives Commission site quite by accident (which goes to show the web can take you places you never thought of) which includes in the definition of "professionalism" specific words such as "Education", "Competencies", "Characteristics" and "Intellectualism", suggesting that "brains" is part of the the "professional character".

In her blog Linda Lord, reviews the expected behaviors of a "professional": "They tend to be cool under pressure, able to move easily between social settings and handle public events with confidence. Someone demonstrating professionalism is able to omit emotional outbursts when handling stressful situations. They maintain their focus, accept the urgency of the situation, and act responsibly when resolving difficult matters. "

Certainly, this describes more of the expected behavior than the educational or intellectual requirements of a "professional".

My two cents is that we tend to use "professionalism" and derivatives thereof in a wide range of descriptions and actually run the risk of "desensitizing" ourselves to it by overuse. I think it’s open to interpretation. We all have our own views on what is professionally acceptable and what isn’t. I’m not sure I buy into the "intellectualism" part. I think that "professionalism" comes from within. There may be educational and ethical requirements to belong to a "profession" and to be expected to behave within a documented or expected set of behaviors. I believe there are socially acceptable non-professional "professional" behaviors that we expect from "business" people, no matter what industry. I think I’m safe in including:

• Sincerity
• Honesty
• Integrity

Add to these the list of what may be expected in a given industry and you have, in my very humble opinion, a "professional".

So, with the waters muddied even further, from one professional to another, have a great week!

Dave

Articles referenced: Edward B. Toupin (writer and coach) : "Professionalism … How do I get one?", Linda Lord (Human Agriculturalist) : "What is professionalism", Texas Library and Archives Commission : "What is Professionalism?"

YOU’RE A “PROFESSIONAL”, WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU “DON’T KNOW”?

As an true "professional" in most fields, people feel as though all the answers should be right there at their fingertips; they should be a walking encyclopedia in their field, quicker than a Google search with even more relevance.

The simple fact of the matter is that the secret to being a "professional" is (in my opinion):

1. the wisdom to acknowledge that one can never know all the answers
2. the humility to admit this to oneself (and a client)
3. the intelligence to know where to look for the answers
4. the confidence to reassure oneself (and a client)
5. the desire to improve oneself

As a famous quote says (something like), "he who knows everything knows nothing". Beware self-proclaimed "experts".

You’re good at what you do. You can be even better. Professionals never stop learning and growing. That’s what careers are all about.

As a marketing "professional", I can never have all the answers. Every one of my clients is different…but between my client and myself we’ll come as close as we can and find as many of the answers as we are able. That’s what makes my work fun. People are amazing and wonderful! Admitting you don’t have an answer there and then is a small act of heroism, a big act of humility and will gain you respect in the long-run.

If we had all the answers already, what would be the point?

I say this all with true humilty…and I’m still looking for the answers. Who knows where today will go? Have an awesome week!