Email Etiquette

With the help of an animated cyberpostman (who works, he tells us, "24/7"), young Australian hostess Tess Hewett shares tips and suggestions for making the most of that late 20th century communication boon/bane: email. Falling somewhere between print and verbal communication (i.e., email combines the permanence of print with the near-instantaneous quality of speech), email has its own set of rules or "etiquette." Hewett suggests that subject lines of messages should be clear, that all-capitals (WHICH LOOK LIKE SHOUTING) should be avoided, that attachments should always be checked for unwanted viruses, and that correspondents should not just hit "reply" on lengthy messages, but rather cut and paste relevant sections. In addition, the program looks at common emoticons (such as smileys) and acronyms (LOL, which people prefer to writing out "Lounging On a Lobster"--ha ha…ahem…it's really "Laughing Out Loud"), privacy concerns, spam, safety issues, courtesy and flaming (common on newsgroups and barbecues). While much of this is simple common sense (no, you shouldn't begin your message with--to quote a famous SNL line--"Jane, you ignorant slut"), there's enough solid advice here to warrant recommending. [Note: a few of the links for more info at the end of the tape take you electronically to the land of Down Under, but most of the content is universally applicable.] Aud: E, I, J, H. (R. Pitman)