C h a p t e r 2 3
E
lectronic mail (or e-mail) can transmit any kind of writing, personal or profes-
sional, and is sent electronically over the Internet. You’ve got mail is a familiar
message to millions of writers. The mail may be a simple hello to a friend, or it
can hold one or more attachments transmitting large amounts of data. This chapter
emphasizes the importance of appropriate e-mail etiquette for business and profes-
sional purposes.
Because e-mail is transmitted over the Internet, it is public. You may think you are
sending a personal note to your business colleague or academic partner, but you
should know that e-mail can be tracked, monitored, and forwarded. Sure, the server
can be down or the download time slow, but even at warp speed, e-mail still has its
good and bad features.
cHaracteristics
The good characteristics are that e-mail messages
-^ can be received almost instantaneously; thus, personal and business matters
move almost as quickly as they would via a phone conversation,
-^ are dated and timed; thus, e-mail can corroborate timely responses and
document business details,
-^ move 24 hours a day; thus, your message can be sent or received at an hour
when phoning would be inappropriate,
-^ can be accessed at the recipient’s convenience; thus, you don’t have to worry
about getting only someone’s answering machine or voice mail or calling at an
inopportune time.
The bad characteristics are that e-mail messages
-^ can be forwarded to anyone anywhere, either accidentally or intentionally;
thus, a sensitive personal or business message can end up in the wrong hands,
-^ can be intercepted and read by those who know how; so, especially if you are
using a school or company e-mail service, know that your messages can—and
probably will—be monitored,