186 / Types of Writing
-^ Don’t copy your message to anyone other than those immediately involved with
the issue. To copy others suggests you are manipulative.
-^ Unless you’re in first grade, omit the smileys, those little faces that read left to
right, like this: :-).
-^ Avoid the habit of marking messages urgent except on the rare occasion that
the message really is.
-^ When forwarding a message, delete the list of previous recipients and all the
“> > >” marks in order to forward clean copy.
STEP 6: Writing and Revising—Entering the
Preliminaries
When you have opened your e-mail program, enter the recipient’s address. Every
e-mail message automatically includes your name, date, and time of message; how-
ever, you must enter a subject line, a couple of words that name your purpose.
-^ Never use more than four or five words in a subject line.
-^ The subject line is not the e-mail nor is it the first sentence of your e-mail.
-^ If your message is a reply to an earlier e-mail, keep the same subject line to
reflect your response.
- If^ your^ message^ addresses^ a^ new^ subject,^ change^ the^ subject^ line^ to^ reflect^ the^
new topic.
-^ If you are e-mailing a business letter, the e-mail message lines labeled Return-
Path, From, To, Subject, and Date serve as the heading and inside address.
Thus, you can begin with “Dear ____” followed by the appropriate punctuation.
STEP 7: Proofreading—Checking One Final Time
Before you hit Send, proofread once more to eliminate any grammar, usage, or
mechanics errors. Make sure the e-mail address is accurate and then send your mes-
sage. Remember that once you click “send,” it’s too late to change your mind, fix any
errors, or amend your comments. Extra effort spent proofreading one more time
never hurts.
Refer to samples throughout Parts II and III for guidelines in preparing the message
you plan to e-mail.