On the Importance of Digital Communication Standards
28 May 2012Can you imagine how much time, energy, and order a universal course on digital asset management and email etiquette would return?
I think it should be a requirement alongside Freshmen forum. Unnecessary CC’ing is unnecessary, yet there seems to be some grey tape around giving people candid feedback on their email practices.
The praxis of Mark Hurst’s Bit Literacy and Email Charter’s 10 Rules to Reverse the Email Spiral would go a long way. Hopefully, that undertaking isn’t too far away.
A few rules from Email Charter:
2. Short or slow is not rude
Let’s mutually agree to cut each other some slack … We just want our lives back.
3. Celebrate Clarity
Start with a subject line that clearly labels the topic, and maybe includes a status [Info], [Action], [Time Sens], [Low Priority]. Use crisp, muddle-free sentences. If the email has to be longer than five sentences, make sure the first provides the basic reason for writing.
5. Slash Surplus cc’s
CC’s are like mating bunnies. For every recipient you add, you are dramatically multiplying total response time. Not to be done lightly.
CC’s are like mating bunnies. For every recipient you add, you are dramatically multiplying total response time. Not to be done lightly.