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I LOVED your golfing
story. Read every word. You're a wonderful writer.
(Peter Bowerman, the Well-Fed Writer)
Big Things rule! ... and the video
of the Airbus is great. (Jim McDonald,
Birmingham, UK)
Having enjoyed reading your
biographical, They
can't take that away from me... I
would love to post your article (for my) course for
seniors entitled Autobiography and Journaling ... and
let them read your article as a good example of what
I call the reader's writer, clearly expressed and easy
to read. (Howell)
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The French language has
always appealed to me ... so I enjoyed Lavinia's
experiences en
France! (Di Sullivan, Perth, Australia)
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expat here since 1990. I have been a subscriber to Writing
Tip for a few years now and look forward to the Friday
editions. I archive by creating topics of the tips
relevant to me and often refer. (Mary, Lagos, Nigeria)
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Your Own Best Seller!
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year, don't just read a best-seller ... Write
your own using the software program that works
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Who said Aussies would
bet on two flies crawling up a wall? Now I know
better! (Bill Denham, Chicago, USA)
I enjoy reading your page
every week, Jennifer, it's never boring and there's always
something to bring a smile to my face! (Kenny Dima,
Tenerife, Spain)
Thanks for pitching in to
help clarify
the English Language for and with us. (Paul, Portland,
USA)
Your story about the evil
glasses made my day :) (Edith, Derbyshire, UK)
I enjoy your
letter and use it in my advanced writing class here in
China. (Bugs, Shenzhen, CHINA)
I always look forward to
your Latin
quote of the week. (Paul, Mexico City, Mexico)
Aah! Those evil
marionettes are everywhere! Thanks for another great
laugh! (Jim Fraser, Vancouver, Canada)
Your remarks regarding the alien
contact had me in stitches, figuratively speaking, of
course. (Dave Wagner, Sacramento, US)
The best part of the
missive is the introduction to Australian
humour and expressions. (Chaska, Prince Edward
County, CANADA)
Like your
site...very inspirational when you get writer's
block like me! (Peter, Seoul, South Korea)
Nice letter, I
was using google for once, twice, thrice
and quince, and found this page, great ;) (Marv, Zwolle,
NETHERLANDS)
One of the most
amusing and erudite newsletters that makes my day.
Keep going. (David Vasnaik, Bangalore, INDIA)
Read
more testimonials ...
Great newsletter -
originally found this site after searching for
clarification on a contentious
point amongst work colleagues. Just had to look at old
issues and now look forward to Fridays (Juliet Wallace,
Manchester, ENGLAND)
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Top Email
Etiquette Rules for Kind and Considerate Messages
by Michael Angier
If your message is too
important for email ... now you call ordinary phones anywhere in the world from your computer for the
price
of a local call
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Within the first three seconds of a new
face-to-face
encounter, you are evaluated. And for many of us, face-to-face
encounters are just a small part of our worldwide base of
relationships. We communicate every day through our email
messages without ever meeting the person on the receiving
side.
Mastering of your e-mail skills goes a long way towards
forging the most professional perception you can with anyone
you may communicate with via email. Follow these tips ...
1. Keep the message to one topic
Limit the email message to one question or topic. This
allows the person receiving it to focus on one item and not
get long, rambling messages that may be overwhelming.
If you have more than one topic to discuss, break the topics
into separate emails.
2. Avoid long sentences
Keep your sentences to a maximum of 15-20 words. Email is
meant to be a quick medium and requires a different kind of
writing than letters.
And take care not to send emails that are too long. If a
person receives an email that looks like a dissertation,
chances are that they will not even attempt to read it!
3. Use proper spelling, grammar and punctuation
Improper spelling, grammar and punctuation give a bad
impression of your company. And correct punctuation is
important for conveying the message properly. Emails with no
full stops or commas are difficult to read and can sometimes
even change the meaning of the text. If your program has a
spell- checking option, use it.
4. Answer swiftly
Customers send an email because they wish to receive a quick
response. If at all possible, reply to the email within at
least 24 hours and preferably within the same working day.
If the email is complicated and needs more attention than
just a quick answer, at least send an email back saying that
you've received it and that you will get back to them.
5. Do not overuse the high priority option
If you overuse the high priority option, it will lose its
function when you really need it. And, even if a mail has high
priority, your message will come across as slightly aggressive
if you flag it as 'high priority'.
6. Do not write in CAPITALS
IF YOU WRITE IN CAPITALS IT SEEMS AS IF YOU ARE SHOUTING.
This can be highly annoying and might trigger an unwanted
response in the form of a flame mail. Also, it's difficult to
read.
7. Don't leave out the message thread
When you reply to an email, include the original mail in
your reply. This means to click 'Reply' instead of 'New Mail'.
Leaving the thread might take a fraction longer in download
time, but it will save the recipient much more time and
frustration in looking for the related emails in their inbox.
8. Read the email before you send it
Reading your email through the eyes of the recipient will
help you send a more effective message and avoid
misunderstandings and inappropriate comments. Ideally, reading
the email out loud will help you quickly pick up any unclear
or emotional phrases that may be misinterpreted.
9. Keep the subject line short
Keep the subject line less than 35 characters. This helps you
to be succinct in the meaning of your message. Also, many
email programs will truncate (clip off) long message lines in
the email viewer. And make sure the subject is meaningful to
the recipient as well as yourself.
10. Use BCC (Blind Carbon Copy)
When addressing a message to a group of people, use the BCC
address line. By using BCC, the recipient only sees two
recipients: theirs and yours.
11. Take care with abbreviations and emoticons
In business emails, don't use abbreviations such as BTW (by
the way) and LOL (laugh out loud). The recipient might not be
aware of the meanings of the abbreviations and in business
emails these are generally not appropriate. The same goes for
emoticons, such as the smiley :-). If you are not sure whether
your recipient knows what it means, it is better not to use
it.
12. Don't forward virus hoaxes and chain letters
If you receive an email message warning you of a new
unstoppable virus that will immediately delete everything from
your computer, this is most probably a hoax. By forwarding
hoaxes, you use valuable bandwidth and sometimes virus hoaxes
contain viruses themselves, by attaching a so-called file that
will stop the dangerous virus.
The same goes for chain letters that promise incredible
riches or ask your help for a charitable cause. Even if the
content seems to be bona fide, the senders are usually not.
Michael Angier, founder of SuccessNet.org, recently
released the New SuccessNet Resource Book--
the Top Must-Have Tools, Products, Services and
Resources for Running Your Business Effectively
This $27 eBook can be yours now at no-cost.
And most of the over 100 resources are FREE to
access and use.
Order at no-cost from
http://SuccessNet.org/resources/
http://SuccessNet.org
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