Have you heard the word netiquette, or network etiquette? It's an approved set of rules for behaving properly online. Have you ever thought about how your business netiquette, or lack thereof, is perceived by others?
In terms of communicating by e-mail, netiquette should be viewed no differently than writing on your company letterhead. This is especially important because e-mails are subject to legal discovery and are potentially admissible in court.
Most employees are generally uneducated about the virtually limitless reach of e-mail and are largely undisciplined when it comes to the appropriateness of using it. E-mails are not private and a certain degree of formality is required.
Follow these guidelines for good netiquette:
• Carefully consider CC and BCC recipients.
• Do not forward e-mail unnecessarily. There is a real cost associated with lost productivity from sorting through unnecessary e-mail.
• Before sending, review to ensure the content is appropriate, grammatically correct and spell checked.
• Remind employees their e-mails are not private and are subject to review by management and potential legal discovery. Adopt an acceptable usage policy.
• Deleted e-mail isn't necessarily gone forever. E-mail servers keep copies of e-mail for varying amounts of time.
First impressions are crucial and a professional e-mail address should top your list of items needed to operate a business. Your e-mail address creates an immediate impression with your customers.
For example, John Doe, who works for ACME Inc., presents a more professional appearance with [email protected] than [email protected]. If you knew nothing about ACME and only saw an e-mail address, which would you want to do business with?
The bottom line is that if you use a free e-mail service for your business, you will be perceived as unprofessional. Most people recognize that these services are free, and from a customer's perspective, using a free service makes a statement about you.
If you are serious about your business, you should invest the relatively small fee to get a professional e-mail address set up for your company. It's generally less than $10 a month.
For more information, e-mail [email protected] or visit www.TeamLogicIT.com.
In terms of communicating by e-mail, netiquette should be viewed no differently than writing on your company letterhead. This is especially important because e-mails are subject to legal discovery and are potentially admissible in court.
Most employees are generally uneducated about the virtually limitless reach of e-mail and are largely undisciplined when it comes to the appropriateness of using it. E-mails are not private and a certain degree of formality is required.
Follow these guidelines for good netiquette:
• Carefully consider CC and BCC recipients.
• Do not forward e-mail unnecessarily. There is a real cost associated with lost productivity from sorting through unnecessary e-mail.
• Before sending, review to ensure the content is appropriate, grammatically correct and spell checked.
• Remind employees their e-mails are not private and are subject to review by management and potential legal discovery. Adopt an acceptable usage policy.
• Deleted e-mail isn't necessarily gone forever. E-mail servers keep copies of e-mail for varying amounts of time.
First impressions are crucial and a professional e-mail address should top your list of items needed to operate a business. Your e-mail address creates an immediate impression with your customers.
For example, John Doe, who works for ACME Inc., presents a more professional appearance with [email protected] than [email protected]. If you knew nothing about ACME and only saw an e-mail address, which would you want to do business with?
The bottom line is that if you use a free e-mail service for your business, you will be perceived as unprofessional. Most people recognize that these services are free, and from a customer's perspective, using a free service makes a statement about you.
If you are serious about your business, you should invest the relatively small fee to get a professional e-mail address set up for your company. It's generally less than $10 a month.
For more information, e-mail [email protected] or visit www.TeamLogicIT.com.