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

---

What is Gmail?

Like most other prime search engines, the ability to freely... Read More

Are You Making These Email Mistakes?

Every day, I receive at least 300 emails. I will... Read More

Autoresponders An Important Part Of Internet Marketing?

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

The Opt-In Secret

Everyone knows that in order to be successful online you... Read More

15 Ways to Manage Your E-Mail More Effectively

? Are you tired of searching for e-mail messages you... Read More

New Realities for E-Mail Marketing

Spam e-mail is no longer the mild irritant it once... Read More

How Autoresonders Can Put Your Business On Autopilot

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

Choose The Right Business For You In Less Than 15 Minutes

3 Characteristics Of "The Right Business" ModelThe business must service... Read More

Turn Your Old Articles Into Profitable E-mail Courses

If you've written numerous articles, you can use them to... Read More

Email MarketingTips - 3 Reasons Why Business Must Use Email Communications

Whether a company sells light fixtures to large corporations or... Read More

Attract New Subscribers With Magnetic Ads

One of the most effective methods of advertising your e-zine... Read More

Youve Got Mail

It seems that Google is revolutionizing the Net in more... Read More

Signature File Dos and Donts

Signature files have been around since, well, before most current... Read More

Email Etiquette: How To Send Emails People Will Read

You may remember a time before there was email?a time... Read More

How to Build Your List

Your list is your life. If you do not have... Read More

Autoresponder Services that Boost Your Business

In the world of ecommerce, millions of sites are fiercely... Read More

People Accusing You of Sending sp*am? Five Email Marketer Must Know Tips

People tend to forget their subscriptions. Sometimes they don't even... Read More

Lesson #5: Four Easy Ways to Kill Your Business Using Your Autoresponder... And How to Avoid Them

The importance of building an opt-in list over spamming (a.k.a.,... Read More

Ways To Persuade Your Web Site Visitors To Give You Their Email Address

These are several ways that you can use to persuade... Read More

Persistence, Patience, Dedication - The Nick Martin Interview

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

Virtual Marketing in a Tangible World

One of the greatest challenges facing business owners and managers... Read More

Email Marketing Essentials

Perhaps the most important component in turning visitors to your... Read More

9 Tips To Help You Write More Powerful Emails

1. Make the effort to learn about the etiquette (these... Read More

What Do Your E-Mail Messages Say About You?

There probably isn't a business person alive who hasn't at... Read More

Its In The List! Thats Where It Is!

Have you noticed the marketing frenzy? Have you felt the... Read More

Lesson #2: Different (and Profitable!) Ways to Use Smart Autoresponders

So, autoresponders allow you to automate the process of instantly... Read More

Using Internet Direct Mail To Increase Your Company?s Profits

"I want to sell my company's products on the Web,... Read More

Tips to Bounce-Proof Your Email List

Keeping your email lists fresh is critical to the success... Read More

7 Wise Ways to Collect Email Addresses and Build Your Mailing List

=> Wise Way #1 - OFFER A FREEBIEYou have to... Read More

Are Autoresponders An Important Asset To Your Business?

Autoresponders are an important asset to an Internet Marketer. When... Read More

An E-mail Promotion Internet Marketing Strategy Works

E-mail promotion Internet marketing can help your home-based business expand... Read More

20 Ways To Increase Your Traffic And Sales Using Free Follow-Up Autoresponder Courses

An autoresponder course is a group of articles or information... Read More

4 Time-Saving E-Mail Tips!

E-Mail is still the most widely used Internet tool available... Read More