Email Etiquette Tips for the NMU Community
Provided by the Educational Technology Resources & Policy Committee
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Be concise and to the point. Use proper spelling, grammar & punctuation.
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Consider the audience for your message. Do not use abbreviations, such as those used in text messaging, that readers may not understand.
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Use a meaningful subject. If you reply to a message but change the subject, change the subject line to make this clear.
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Include the most pertinent information about the message in the message body. If you need to attach a document, the message body should still clearly and concisely tell the reader why the message was sent.
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Do not attach unnecessary files, and be aware of the file size for files you do attach. Consider posting files to a web site rather than attaching them to a message, especially for messages sent to listserves.
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Check to see that you actually attached files, if you mention an attachment in the body of your message.
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Read the email before you send it.
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Answer swiftly, with due consideration to the response.
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Do not expect instant responses to messages you send.
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Do not write in UPPERCASE.
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Do not overuse Reply to All.
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If you intend to respond to a single person, check the “To” line to make sure you are not sending your message to a list or to all previous recipients.
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Mailings > consider using the bcc: field to send lists to a number of recipients.
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“bcc” is intended to send messages without listing all recipients. When used, it can be useful to note the intended audience in your message.
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This will avoid filling the beginning of the message with a lengthy list of recipients the reader must peruse before finding out what the message is about,
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Lists such as “list#ListNameHere@nmu.edu” are intended for official university business.
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Use these lists judiciously and do not use these lists to send advertisements, chain letters, or that really funny joke you just received.