Doug Levy
What originated as a list of pet peeves has evolved into a list of tips for more effective use of email. Please add to the list and comment.
If you are within 100 feet of the message recipient, stop. Get up from your chair. Walk over and make your request in...
Use common flags such as [FYI] [Need by 1pm] or [Status Report] in subject lines so that recipient knows what is expected and when
Before you send an email, think about the value of the recipient's time. If sending an email (or cc'ing) multiple people, think about the value of every person's time. Is your email really worth that much?
There are lots of reasons attachments cause needless problems. Large files clog up your own email system (check your "sent items" folder to see) and the recipient's inbox. If you send a 6MB picture to someone whose email box is capped at 10MB, your message could very well have just blocked that person from receiving important messages until they clean up their mailbox. When sending a file to someone within our group, save the file to the P: drive and send the hyperlink instead. For external recipients, use our shared Dropbox account.
