EMAIL ADDRESS
An Email address is a designation for an electronic mailbox that sends and
receives messages, known as email, on a computer network. Since the 1980s, all
email addresses follow the same format: @.
Example:
haris@[Link]
On the far right, the .com component represents the top level domain (TLD) for the
email address. It could also be replaced with .org, .edu, or another entity.
Commonly-used TLDs include:
.com: Used by entities engaged in commerce
.org: Used by nonprofit organizations
.edu: Used by educational institutions
.net: Used by network providers
.gov: Used by governmental agency
The domain name is the specific name of the organization. This could be any
name, but familiar ones include [Link] or [Link]. The combination of
the organization name and TLD is the address entered into a browser to go to the
organization’s website. The @ (pronounced “at”) symbol is the connector between
the domain and the person who the email address belongs to. In this case, the
person is Jane Doe. When an email is sent to this address, the message is sent to
Jane Doe at the domain name.
How to write an Effective EMAIL ADDRESS
To write an Effective email we should follow these steps.
SUBJECT LINES ARE IMPORTANT:
It drives me crazy when I get an email from someone and the subject line is
a tease or does not relate to the content of the email. Again, this will add
time to my day, when I’m trying to search through my emails for specific
content, but the subject line doesn’t match that content.
USE BULLET POINTS AND HIGHLIGHT CALL TO ACTION:
Bullet points make it much easier for the recipient to read the email quickly
and effectively. It also helps the reader identify the main points of the email.
If the recipient is expected to do something after receiving the email,
highlight the call to action.
KEEP IT SHORT:
No one has the time to read a 10-paragraph email, so don’t sent it. If you
have 10-paragraphs, or even four-paragraphs, then you’re likely including
unrelated content.
DON’T MUDDLE CONTENT:
Stick to one content area per email. If you are sending a follow-up email to
a colleague after a meeting, then it is unnecessary to add in something
about a different client or information about the company picnic, etc. When
you muddle content, it makes it much harder for the recipient to find the
email in a search because the content they are looking for won’t match the
subject line.
BE COLLEGIAL:
Always open your email with a pleasantry. I often craft my email, then go
back and add in the “I hope you had a great vacation” or “Have a great
weekend – enjoy the Fall weather.”
WATCH YOUR TONE:
The tone of an email is difficult to assess, but more often than not, the
reader will assign a tone, even when one was not intended, so be careful
not to craft the email with tone by watching the use of exclamation marks,
using inflammatory words, etc.
AVOID TOO MANY EXCLAMATION MARKS AND NO EMOJIS:
I find I use too many exclamation marks in my emails, usually to sound
excited, but one could also read the exclamation marks as being angry,
frustrated, etc. And NEVER use emojis in a work email, to anyone other
than a close friend.
AVOID QUOTES THAT COULD BE OFFENSIVE TO OTHERS:
More and more you see quotes at the bottom of emails. Some are benign
inspirational quotes, such as “Be the best you can be every day,” these are
fine; however, avoid quotes with religious meaning, quotes that could be
viewed as excluding others, etc. could offend a co-worker, a client, or a
vendor, which could result in the loss of productivity and business.
ALWAYS PROOFREAD YOUR EMAILS:
Sending out an email with typos, misspelled words, etc., makes you look
bad. Take the extra minute to proofread the email.
NEVER SEND AN EMAIL WHEN ANGRY OF FRUSTRATED:
If you need to write the email, do so in a word document, where it is
impossible to hit the send button by accident.
EMAIL CHAINS:
Email chains can be effective, but sometimes it is more effective to pick up
the telephone and have a conversation in five minutes versus four hours of
back and forth emails. Also, be careful not to change content areas without
changing the subject line.
