Email Etiquette II

I had great feedback from my last article, and was asked to write further on the subject; hence my title.

This month I'll share on Email Etiquette in discussion groups. For those who are not yet aware, on the Internet there are hundreds of thousands of discussion groups available in any topic imaginable. The most popular group systems used are YahooGroups.com, Topica.com and SmartGroups.com but there are others. Some web owners set up their own private groups too, via their website.

The idea behind these groups is that someone starts up or moderates a topic and people become members (at no cost) if they are interested. Some of these groups have closed memberships, i.e. you have to be involved in whatever that group is about and outsiders cannot join, whilst other groups are open to all and sundry.

With the whole world being open to membership for these groups cultural differences need to be considered and it is possible to easily upset a member and suddenly you have a heated argument with many others getting involved and the original meaning and context completely shoved aside! I've seen this happen in groups and it's a shame, as it often just takes a little thought and consideration to realise that perhaps the writer didn't fully understand the language, or hadn't actually meant what may have sounded rather rude. There have been times when someone has written something I thought was offensive or wrong and rather than emailing back to the list via the group email address, I have chosen to email the writer direct instead. A much better way to handle a misunderstanding.

A good rule when handling/writing email for group discussions - read through it first and then check which address it is going to, before clicking 'Send'.

The suggestion last month about using signature blocks really applies in this situation - how will people know who you are, or where you come from if you only sign off as 'Kathie'?

Another suggestion - trim the message before sending it back to the group. What I mean by this is do not leave all the original discussion and replies at the tail end as this is unnecessary and makes it inconvenient for those who have chosen to receive a daily digest of messages (they keep reading the same things over and over otherwise) and difficult for those who are on limited bandwidth for email. But don't delete the whole previous message - if you are responding to something, or adding to the discussion. There are often multiple discussions going on and it could prove difficult for the reader to understand what you're saying, and in what context, if the whole previous message is deleted from your response. I have at times read something posted to a group and thought 'huh?' There is a happy medium here.

Discussion groups give you an opportunity to learn from others and share ideas, but more than that, it allows you to make friends on a global scale, and then the world really does seem to become smaller. And, if you are really knowledgeable in your field, it also helps enforce this to others and before you know it, you become a respected member that others seek to learn from and perhaps be mentored by. What a privilege that can be!

One word of warning - belonging to multiple groups can become time consuming and addictive! You could find yourself spending more time reading and responding to messages than getting your work done. So, if you work virtually like I, and my team do, that can become a real danger to your business. As in all things, moderation is the key, and you stand to learn many things and make lots of friends.

About The Author

Article reprinted by permission Kathie M. Thomas, Founder "A Clayton's Secretary". Kathie is a multiple award winner in her industry as a Secretary and Virtual Business Operator, and has 30 years' experience in the secretarial/ administrative field. www.asecretary.com.au

kathie@asecretary.com.au

---

Some Simple Sure-fire Strategies to Construct a Responsive Opt in List!

A responsive opt in list is an unbelievably powerful money-maker... Read More

Say More Than Thank You

Most Websites are gathering e-mail addresses. When you submit your... Read More

Autoresponders An Important Part Of Internet Marketing?

Setting up and using email autoresponders on your site is... Read More

Raid Your Autoresponder Attic For Content

Why you need new website content.Finding or creating good content... Read More

10 Essential Steps to Developing a Successful E-Mail Marketing Campaign

Developing and executing a successful e-mail marketing campaign is becoming... Read More

A Guide To Using an Automatic Responder

It's unbelievable....that many people do not know, that an automatic... Read More

Let The Email Wars Begin

Things just got a lot hotter in the hyper-competitive world... Read More

Whats on YOUR Subscriber Thank-You Page?

When I coach my clients on how to... Read More

How Autoresonders Can Put Your Business On Autopilot

Owning your own online business is a lot of work.... Read More

Do Your Autoresponders Drive Your Customers Crazy?

A chained auto-responder is a sequence of emails that gets... Read More

Autoresponders = Automatic Internet Marketing Success

What if you could send out all the information that... Read More

Are Your Emails Being Heard

Yes, the headline is spelled right. What if you had... Read More

Does Punctuation Really Matter in Email?

So much depends on choosing the correct mark of punctuation... Read More

Persistence, Patience, Dedication - The Nick Martin Interview

Name: Nicholas John Martin aka Nick MartinAge: 24Residence: Copenhagen, Denmark... Read More

Viral Marketing with Your Signature File

Computer viruses are usually a bad thing. They can compromise... Read More

Yes, Please Do Come In, But Better Watch Your Step!

This little parody, and the comments that follow, were... Read More

One Great Way To Generate A Lot Of Cold Hard Cash From Your Opt-In Email List

I bet you want to know what that one great... Read More

Why Autoresponders are an Absolute Must

With autoresponders, you never have to lose money advertising again!... Read More

Email Marketing 2005?Do?s & Don?ts

Email Marketing 2005?Do's & Don'ts1. Make sure all your email... Read More

What A Newsletter Can Do For Your Business

Newsletters are often thought of as easy, do-it-yourself communications projects.... Read More

Do You Ponder the Automatic Responder?

* The Automatic Responder is generally referred to as an... Read More

3 Essential Tools for Email Marketers

Marketing your business with email is an art.It's very easy... Read More

Viral Marketing - Your Key to Gaining New Clients

Email newsletters are an excellent means of promoting the products... Read More

Just Write an Email

How did you sell your last product? Imagine that I... Read More

Ten Tips for Email Marketers

Here are the ten most important tips to ensure you're... Read More

The Most Critical Strategy to Your Survival, and Prosperity, Online

For the sake of your long term survival and your... Read More

Website Promotion Through Newsletters

Website promotion is certainly a main focus of all business... Read More

The List Is The Thing

Many companies begin their online sales ventures with the wrong... Read More

Internet Tip of the Week: Seven Rules of Email

Now there is no law that says you have to... Read More

Six Easy White-Listing Ways... Stop Losing Important Emails!

Are you dead sure about receiving of all the important... Read More

Lumpy Mail Gets Your Message Through

When it comes to your gravy, lumps are bad. When... Read More

Ways to Use Autoreponders To Increase Your Profits

When I was first introduced to an autoresponder I thought... Read More

Lesson #7: Three Extra Tricks That Can Boost Your Bottom-Line!

Let's recap what you've learned so far...In the first lesson,... Read More