There are those that feel they need to reply to my e-mails in a different color text than the standard black the I use for all e-mails. I guess they assume I wouldn’t know it was their reply/comment without them doing so.
There really is no problem in doing that. Nor is doing so really an E-mail Etiquette faux pas. However, I thought I would bring this up because I do get e-mails through NetManners.com quite regularly asking me about why folks do this.
Why am I being asked? Because the onliners who receive those e-mails don’t like it. It really bugs them! Either the color choice is annoying or it simply gets under their skin.
I know when I receive those type of replies, I do catch myself wondering why the sender felt the need to do so. If you down-edit properly and are a clear communicator, I don’t need your text in a different color as though I wouldn’t know otherwise. Maybe the folks who reply in this manner do so because it helps them to reply with more clarity?
I would be curious to know what other onliner’s think about his practice. I’ve receive more e-mails from folks who do not like this practice than those who see a need for it. Is replying in a different color text to e-mails sent to you something you do and why? When onliner’s reply to your e-mails in a different colored text, what do you think?
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I stick to basic black in my emails.
As far as receiving colored text in replies goes, I find I react differently depending on the situation. If it’s an informal email from a friend, it comes across as personal expression and doesn’t bother me.
At work, it’s a different story. I find myself wishing they would take the effort they put into color choice and concentrate on the quality of the information they’re trying to convey instead. Funny color text seems unprofessional to me.
Hey, A!
I agree! Two different worlds; personal vs. business.
Thanks for posting! ;-)
Judith
I actually find there are times where colour is helpful.
If there are several different points in an email I wish to reply to, I down edit. Simple.
BUT if there really is a HUGE amount I am replying to – where I’m adding my reply under their paragraph – sometimes it is STILL hard to read, and immediately see where my reply is. So I may use colour. Sensible colours though, like dark blue. The majority of the time this happens, is for personal emails though, so may be more acceptable – I rarely have a novel for workmates/clients to read! :D
Denise, it is clear that you use thought and discretion — many don’t take that time.
The key is to make sure using colors in replies enhances the clarity. Colors are fine, but you have to realize color choice can add tone or detract from your message.
Thanks for the post!
Judith
NetManners.com
I would bet that most people who use Outlook for their email use blue for their replies because that’s the default Microsoft chooses for them.
In addition, I have to admit that before reading this post, I never really gave a thought to the color of my reply, or of replies to my emails. I have never received a complaint about mine (default MS blue), nor have I had occasion to complain about others.’
Now, if you want to talk about funky stationary, miniscule fonts, and the like–now them’s fightin’ words!
Hey, Jim:
Thanks for stopping by! You are right on all your points! The only concern is by formatting to a different color you add extra code — code that could have e-mails misidentified as spam and have your e-mails go right to trash. I had that happen to two incoming e-mails today. This is a reminder for another reason to always check your junk or trash folder before assuming an e-mail was not responded to and before clearing out those folders.
I have never had a problem knowing one’s response when they edit properly which is what most of those who use colored text do. That’s why I assumed it may help them be clearer or more organized as I don’t need a different font color to know that is not what I originally typed.
Feel free to let us know about what else you consider fight’n words! ;-)
At your service,
Judith
I change the color of what I’m quoting from their original message to blue to make it stand out a little more than just the excerpt bars do. I down edit with my replies below their point which is now in blue; I use Eudora, so it is my conscious choice to do so. I took up doing this because I noted that when I got a message from someone else I found it easier and quicker to read and follow than when it was all in black. And in turn, I’ve had others say they appreciate the system, and do it themselves now. My own text is always black though. So I’m using color to identify quoting, not for emphasis.
I use color at work, but, color is reserved for down-editing. Never are emails replied to in a color except to clarify point by point.
I prefer to avoid the issue of colors by sending all my email as plain text, and leaving it up to the recipient to set up their computer to display it in whatever color they like.
I use mutt, and I have it set to display emails with most text in black, and quotes in blue, but that’s just on my own screen.
Hey, Barney:
Thanks for your comments! I wish more folks thought as you do. Good job — hopefully others will take your lead as an example and do the same ;-)
At your service,
Judith
The use of colour is an emotive choice. Why was capital font decided to be “shouting”? The same emotional issue can be said about the use of colour in reply to an email.
Replying to an email in a business environment with red text could be seen as angry, aggressive and cyber bullying. Yet in blue text it comes across as a calmer relaxed and considered more a suggestive reply rather than a demand.
To dismiss the use of colour is not really allowing the email concept to develop and evolve as we have all moved from writing “pen to paper” to writing an email now for many years it is still in it’s infancy compared to centuries of writing it down in ink.
Good points, Michael!
One can say all they want that color doesn’t have influence — that doesn’t make it so! I’ve never had to use any colors in a single e-mail I’ve ever sent in almost 20 years. And, I’m not misunderstood, nor does the importance of my message get lost with plain old black type.
Thanks for stopping by and sharing!
Of course all you people are too young to remember those old clanky keyboards that, when you hit a key, a hammer with the appropriate letter would fly up and whack an inked ribbon to transfer ink in the shape of the letter onto the paper behind !! Typewriters they used to call them – there were even “electric” models that worked on the same principal, but made it easier to hit the keys ! ;-)
So those people who DO remember these things, may remember that they often had a dual colour, red/black ribbon allowing you, when pressing an additional key, to type in red rather than black. On the other hand, you couldn’t do bold or italic, nor change fonts (OK, you could change the ball on a “Golf-ball” machine”), though you could underline and strike out.
Nothing’s new – just the word “Netiquette”. If typewriters could have ha ribbons with millions of colours, they would have had, and people would have used them in more or less good taste. That’s all it comes down to really… “good taste”. It’s certain that if you use 20 different fonts in 20 different colours in your emails, you’re going to upset some people, if only by creating a document that’s extremely hard to read.
That said, there’s plenty of room between that and plain black. You can’t condemn the use of colour or you have to condemn the use of bold, italic and other attributes also.
Lastly (promise!), there’s a big difference between “I’m not misunderstood” and “I’m understood easily and clearly” !!
I learned how to type on an IBM Selectric! ;-)
I hear what you are saying. Formatting and colors is a discretion thing that has to be used carefully. While formatting, bolding or red type can be used to make a point, you level the level of emphasis to be perceived by the person on the other side. Those who use formatting in lieu of carefully selected verbiage seem to always be those who claim “I didn’t mean it that way!”
So why risk a misunderstanding? Instead choose your words carefully and let those choices be clear about your intent and meaning instead of relying on formatting to do so.
“I learned how to type on an IBM Selectric! ;-)”
Naaaaah !! Impossible !!! You’re too young for that ;-)
Perhaps it’s because I live in France and deal with many versions of “English”, but I find that even carefully chosen words are susceptible to misunderstanding, if only for a lack of vocabulary and that the odd bold or coloured word can help to focus on the important points. You and I already have language differences, you speak American (I guess, from the spelling of colour!), I speak English. Even here we could have comprehension problems – we have bonnets and boots on our cars, and we smoke fags !! :-)
I also deal a lot with young students (14 to 30 range), and I don’t know if it’s the same elsewhere, but here they all seem to read everything “diagonally”, and assume that they have understood everything, when they have probably missed several important points. Here too, drawing focus to these points, however you do it (although I’m frankly opposed to underlining!), can only be of help, however carefully you have chosen your words. I even tend to avoid contractions (didn’t, haven’t etc.) to be more clear, but if (and only IF) colour and emphasis helps – go for it !!
I wish I were too young for that — I knew I would be dating myself! ;-)
Fred, you are a perfect example of how being aware of how possible misunderstandings can happen and being careful and cognizant about how your communicate can go along way to avoiding any misconceptions. Unlike yourself too many don’t take the time to think about these issues and apply that caution — they do what they want and then don’t understand when they are misread.
You make a bunch of great points that the readers of this site can benefit from. Thanks!
I like replies in color – it’s easier to read their reply w/o having to distinguish my type from theirs & it makes it less likely I’ll overlook something they said. Also, everyone isn’t age 20, some of us who are older don’t see small type well anyway. Yeah, yeah, I know I can magnify it, but I’m lazy. I do think the replier should be cognizant that the reader might be color blind. Personally, I like when the replier just replies in black type, but in all caps.
Hey, JC:
Thanks for stopping by and for your opinions! What you mention makes sense and I think many will agree with you. The part about being lazy is something many don’t openly admit as you did. If the type is too small, you have the option to make it larger — if you don’t, no one to blame but yourself.
As far as all caps, well, if you read my site you know there are studies that reflect that all caps are hard on the eyes so that isn’t the best way to communicate with the written word either.
The bottom line is we are all free to do what we want. There are those who have their own style and that is fine, as long as it doesn’t make communicating with them difficult.
I’ve been having a great dialog with a friend who lives hundreds of miles away. Email lets us communicate when we have time to enjoy it, and responding within the body of our replies in different colors each time lets us have much better conversations than if we responded on a new reply page, without having to hunt for what’s different each time, or re-reading the entire, sometimes lengthy text. I’m bummed that ipad doesn’t allow this- very inconvenient. It is important to choose colors that are easy to read and not too obnoxious!
Hey, Kris:
Changing reply colors does work for some folks… However, I feel that if you down-edit properly — changing colors is not necessary. Maybe get in the habit of down-editing now that you have your iPad and this option is no longer available to you. I have an article you might find helpful: How to Properly Down-edit Your Emails.
Thanks for stopping by!