Originally posted at: Email Basics
Email is part of our daily lives. We’ve been using it for so long we take it for granted we know how to use it.
Here are some tips about using email that you may or may not know:
Reply and Reply All
Hitting the ‘reply’ button will only send your response back to the person who sent you the message.
Hitting the ‘reply all’ button will send your message to everyone who received the original message.
It is important to note the difference between the two buttons. That way you don’t send messages to a bunch of people that you don’t want in on your conversation.
CC and BCC
CC: ‘Carbon Copy’ from the days when typewriters were in use and fingers were used to getting blackened. Use ‘cc’ when you want to send your message to more than one person.
BCC: ‘Blind Carbon Copy’ is a super-secret method of sending messages. When you ‘bcc’ someone that person’s email address does not show up on the copies going to other people. This is helpful when you want to send a message to someone and to other people, but you don’t want anyone else to see who you’re sending the message to.
Forwarding Messages
Do not forward chain letters unless they are particularly funny or making fun of chain letters.
Delete all email addresses of people who have already seen the message.
Send the message to yourself and BCC everyone else. That way the recipients only see your address and theirs. Protect your friends. You may trust your friends, but you don’t know what activities someone down the email road is into. This is one method spammers use to build their email lists.
Autoresponders
People expect to hear some sort of response from you when they send you a message. “Did you get my message?”
Sending out an automated response can be a boon, but it can also make you look foolish. Use an autoresponder when you are on vacation or any other time you are out of the office for an extended period of time. Autoresponders should not be used on a daily basis. It is annoying to people when they just keep getting automated responses. Think about it the next time you get put on hold.
It is better to shoot back a short note saying, “I’ve received your message. I’m really busy right now and I’ll get back to you as soon as I can.” Create a ‘Needs Response’ folder in your email program for all the messages you need to get back to.
Never respond immediately to a message that has upset you. You need time to cool off and think logically about your response.
Now you understand email just a little better.
Darla Mittler
President & CEO, Darla Mittler Document Magic
Darla Mittler Document Magic
Darla Mittler is President & CEO of Darla Mittler Document Magic. With a personal library of well over 1,000 physical books, over half a decade as a Mass Media Buyer for a major bookstore chain, and insights into e-publishing, Darla is ready to help authors bring their works to market.