You should not start off any communication on the wrong foot by not making use of the e-mail properly. If you follow these 10 commandments, individuals would actually appreciate you.

1. Thou shalt use e-mail to convey only ideas and factual or logistical information, not feelings. To express emotions and sentiment, take time for a one-on-one meeting or telephone convo rather than sending an e-mail. The sound, tone, timber, and quality of your voice would assist to better communicate your message and avoid misunderstandings.

2. Thou shalt always write the topic of the message you are sending on the reference or subject line. Always write a succinct, precise description of what recipients can expect in the body of your e- mail in the subject line. It helps them prioritize their messages and quickly sort them for future reference. It also allows them to easily follow the path of responses back and forth. If you correspond with the same people on multiple subjects, separate the e- mails by the appropriate topic clearly stated in the reference line.

3. Thou shalt address the e-mail using the name of the anticipated individual. Have you ever received a personal e-mail note destined for someone else? I did-and it was a love note that made me blush! I read half of it and realized that wasn’t meant for me. Since then, I am never sure I’m the intended recipient unless I see my name at the top. Do not muddy your messages; always address the recipient by name.

4. Thou shalt make use of Blind copy when you are sending e-mails to a group. Avoid sharing names of the whole group via e-mail unless it’s a small, closed group like a Board of Directors or a Club and you know members have beforehand been given the list of names and e-mail addresses. E-mail addresses must be kept private.

5. Thou shalt never ever forward a chain letter which states if you do or do not do something in a particular time, your life would forever be changed. It is nice to create change for somebody but not by using threats. If you really should send the letter to others, remove the threatening language. If you don’t, you’ll be excommunicated from the hall of good manners.

6. Thou shalt use “delivery receipt notification” only when it’s imperative that you know if the intended recipient received it. Do not create a need to send any pointless e-mails by using this tool. It could irritate people.

7. Thou shalt use capitalization, upper and lower case, and proper punctuation in e-mails as in all other written communications. Studies have proven that if people read text written in all capital or all lower case letters, it takes much longer to read and understand a message. Use a normal way of writing.

8. Thou shalt close your e-mail message with heartfelt words which show that the sender is completely present. Don’t just depend on your automated signature line to close your e-mail. Let your recipients know that, indeed, an actual individual is sending them a message.

9. Thou shalt minimize, compress, or “zip” large attached files before sending them. “Zip” any attachments over 200,000 bytes before sending them via e-mail. Large files can fill someone’s e-mail box and cause other mail to bounce. They might also require an extra long time for the recipient to download the information in some areas.

10. Thou shalt respond to e-mails in 24 hours. Even if you cannot yet provide an answer, replying to someone’s e-mail in a day lets the sender knows you received it. Sending immediate responses also keeps you organized and up to date on your e- mail correspondence.

These are just few of the email etiquette that you have to follow. If you really want to find out more email etiquette visit: http://www.etiquettepage.com/ and get the etiquette training.