It is very common for me to get e-mails asking what a sender meant by having only certain text in their e-mail purposely changed to red. This week three e-mails to be exact. So let's cover this again! Red is an aggressive color. The term "seeing red" means that someone is mad or so upset that … [Read more...]
How You Type Your Name Matters!
Your name is what identifies you; it's who you are. Making a good impression (or not) can depend on something as little as how you choose type your name in your e-mails. From configuring your e-mail program, to filling out Web inquiry forms or making online purchases, always formally capitalize … [Read more...]
E-mails Should Not be Manifestos
E-mail is not the venue for rambling random thoughts, your latest tirade or manifesto about whatever your brain sparks at the moment. Long e-mails, especially those without paragraph breaks every several sentences don't get read. They get scanned. I've even caught myself scanning instead of … [Read more...]
Are Your E-mails Tone Deaf?
Did you know there is a tone to every e-mail you send. Whether you know it or not the other side is assuming your tone based on what words you choose, how you use them, format them and your choice of punctuation. It seems that quite a few folks neglect to take their e-mail tone into consideration. … [Read more...]
Think Before You Type
WISE PERSONS ARE THOSE WHO THINK TWICE BEFORE SPEAKING ONCE. Perhaps the greatest quality in a leader and the most valuable skill in building relationships is the ability to think before you speak. If you have a tendency to speak hastily in anger and regret your actions at leisure, the childhood … [Read more...]
How to Avoid Sending Spammy Looking Email
We all hate spam and get way too much of it, agreed? Now that we have that out of the way it is important to realize that if your email is spammy you risk your email not getting through to the intended party. Two factors are at play here -- sending email with red flags that trip spam filters and … [Read more...]
Are You Getting E-mail Returns? Here’s Why…
Undeliverable error messages are the protocol in place to let you know when messages sent do not (for many reasons) make it to the intended recipient. You want to become familiar with how these messages relay exactly what the problem is. What causes you to get these messages? User gave incorrect … [Read more...]
It’s All About Emphasis — but How Much?
I receive e-mails every week asking if bolding or changing font color to red is the same a yelling or screaming. Is it the same as using all caps? It can be. Most who ask me these questions are trying to interpret what the person who sent them the e-mail really meant. They aren't sure and do not … [Read more...]
Emotional E-mails & Jumping to Conclusions
Before you hit that Reply button and start typing a cryptic emotional response that you may later regret, sit back and carefully reread the e-mail you are responding to making sure to take in its intent in its entirety. If you are very upset; wait until the next morning before considering even if … [Read more...]
E-mail Software Offers Formatting… So?
I received a pretty nasty e-mail this week e-arguing with me on my comments about refraining from formatting e-mails with images, colors, bolding, changing font size, etc. "If AOL or Outlook allows background images and formatting, who am I to try to tell people to restrain their creativity?" To … [Read more...]