More on How to Write Power E-mails

E-mailing is a skill that doesn’t only entail knowing how to actually send e-mails or use BCCs. E-mailing is a communication skill, which means you got to know what to writer and how to write it. Here are a few tips on writing power e-mails:

• Check your address - You can’t expect to be credible with an email address likebadbigdaddy2007@domain.com. Better use your real name when registering an e-mail address.
• Be specific with your subject - Try to capture the gist “Sales figures for May 2006″ is much better than “Figures from last year.” Very generic subjects like “From a friend” might even be blocked by spam filters.
• Follow standard writing rules - Make sure you abide by the rules of grammar and good writing. Be sure to edit/proofread before clicking the send button.
• Start with your purpose - Just like any other professional correspondence make your purpose clear right from the start.
• Use lists - Whether it’s citing some points or asking questions, it’s better to use bulleted or number lists. It makes it easy for the reader to get your points. It would also make replying much easier since they could just insert their answers in between the lists.
• Emphasize - With today’s rich text editors for e-mails, you can now use boldface oritalics to emphasize points. Avoid using ALL CAPS because it gives off the impression THAT YOU ARE SHOUTING!
• Scrap the 1337 and TXT language - You have the luxury of using the whole keyboard so leave out the leet and text language.
• Emoticons - For some informal e-mails, you can use smileys or emoticons to convey emotion. People often mistake humor with sarcasm so a little smiling face to show that you’re just joking might help.
• Check your attachments - Some people might still have slower Internet connections and smaller inbox spaces so make sure that you keep attachments downsized. Most digital cameras with average megapixel ratings produce large file size images. So before attaching some of your vacation pictures, be sure to edit and scale them down. Or use a photo hosting service like Flickr or Photobucket.
• Use a signature - Most e-mail services allow you to create a signature file that automatically gets inserted at the bottom of your e-mail. You can already put your name, designation, and contact details in this file. This will save you a bit of time.