dear instructor, sorry i havent finished the paper on time. lol.

[rymenhild]

Since I've received a number of ghastly abbreviation-filled, unpunctuated, lower-case, misspelled and generally unprofessional emails from my students lately, I am preparing to lead my class in a a discussion of email etiquette. I'm inviting suggestions. Tell me something one should never do (or always do) when writing a business- or school-related email to a colleague or superior.

Thank you!

Comments

[cupenny.livejournal.com]

Aside from proper grammar, spelling and punctuation?

I know I'm relaxed about those things when writing on LJ, but for formal letters- email or snail mail, those should be adhered to.

Hm.
No emoticons, abbreviations aside from 'professional' ones, or *actions*. No AIM-speak!
No swearing or 'dirty' words.


It's rather sad that you have to go over this sort of thing, really. *HUGZ*

(And I know *HUGZ* isn't something you'd put in a formal letter of any sort, but.... at least I did spell check this post? ^_^)

[rymenhild.livejournal.com]

Good call there - I'll put both of those on the list.

[ex-greythist387.livejournal.com]

1. Form of address. Either leave off the salutation (I am sufficiently old[-school] that the greeting line in e-mail is an onus, not a thing I supply automatically) or use one of several possibilities, most to least formal:

Dear Title Last,
Dear First Last,
Dear First,
First,
Hi[,] First,

2. Use a suitable closer.

3. Reread--don't just use spellcheck. Arrgh.

4. Formally, it's spelled "e-mail." :P

[rymenhild.livejournal.com]

I stand corrected. Thanks for the advice.

[tovaks.livejournal.com]

Dear Rhymenhild,

I hope this list helps!

Never do:
--Use any slang, AIMspeak, emoticons, vulgarity or entendre unless it is situationally-appropriate (such as the suggestion of a slogan or something).
--No non-verbal vocalizations in the e-mail, like "haha."
--No words in all-caps unless it's an acronymn or you absolutely need the emphasis, in which case, do it only once in an e-mail (or 2-3 times if it's long). Never put full sentences in all-caps.
--No offhand comments, segues, or commentary unless you have a friendship with the recipient (as opposed to a professional relationship) and a reason for doing it in the e-mail.
--Never put long hyperlinks in the body of a paragraph. If for some reason one must put an obnoxiously long link, put a colen, then put the link in its own paragraph, then start a new sentence a line under the hyperlink.
--Never put a whole bunch of unrelated thoughts in one paragraph of one e-mail. Use paragraphs, even if they're very short.
--Make use of bullet-points when you have a list of things to talk about or need accomplished. E-mail is informal enough that you can use bullet points and still be professional, if they're done correctly. You don't need to write a whole essay in 5-paragraph format if you have a couple questions or comments. Just don't forget to introduce and punctuate the list properly.

Always do:
--Introduce yourself at the beginning of the e-mail (after the salutation, of course). Even though the server announces who you are before you click on it, 1.) it's polite introduce yourself, and 2.) The server might identify one by e-mail address rather than name.
--Proofread for *content* as well as grammar and punctuation.
--Spellcheck
--Adhere to traditonal letter-writing rules (Dear ___; Sincerely, etc.)
--Use appropriate addresses, salutations. e.g. "Dear Professor X" instead of "hi i have a question")
--BE CONCISE! If you have a question for a prof, introduce yourself, provide a brief context, ask the question, then say thank you.

I'm sure you already know this, but definitely provide them with example "right way/wrong way" e-mails so that they have a reference for later.

I hope you found this list useful.

Sincerely,

Tovaks

:-P

[rymenhild.livejournal.com]

I don't see bullet-points in e-mail very often, but now I'm wondering why not.
They seem so practical, now that you say that.

Thanks for the advice!

[vitabeata.livejournal.com]

Thanks for asking about this!

The only thing that immediately comes to mind aside from what others have so ably listed is this: if you are not using your university-issued e-mail address, take five minutes to create a professional-sounding e-mail identity. Mail from xxf3mm3fatal3xx@aol.com is never professional, no matter what it says.

[rymenhild.livejournal.com]

I think I've had at least one student email address that breaks this rule in every class I've taught.

[poisoninjest.livejournal.com]

I'm pretty easygoing about email etiquette from my students, but the one thing that drives me crazy--I don't know if you've seen this yet--they don't sign their emails. And most of them haven't even set their account to show their names in the "from" field, so I guess they really do expect me to memorize 50 email addresses every semester (most of which all look the same anyway 'cause they all use their email handles to express their enthusiasm for our institution's football team. ::sigh::).

[rymenhild.livejournal.com]

You know, I've never had that problem. I'll warn against it, anyway.

[marianme.livejournal.com]

* Remember not to send email from your naughty or inappropriately worded email address. (Ex. ilovebigbutts@kinkyfairie.com might not be so good.)

* Put your full name, as it would show in the grade book, in the signature or bottom of email.

* Include the class, class #, and assignment - possibly in the subject line.

* Especially if your email is unreliable, leave an alternate contact method like cellphone number.

[ex-greythist387.livejournal.com]

Subject line! Good point. I usually remember to skim both From: and Subject: when weeding spam from my many e-mail accounts, but many people don't have time. Anyway, even if one doesn't include the class name/number in the subject line, having a meaningful line (not "hi" or "question") is a good idea.

[fleurdelis28.livejournal.com]

Remember not to send email from your naughty or inappropriately worded email address. (Ex. ilovebigbutts@kinkyfairie.com might not be so good.)

I had a prof who made this mistake once...

[rymenhild.livejournal.com]

Excellent advice, all of it -- especially the suggestion about the subject line.

[ajodasso.livejournal.com]

Stress the importance of a formal opening and closing, I think - and, of course, the standard lecture on proper punctuation and grammar.

Also, it might be worth mentioning that their n00b-tastic missives make the Baby Jesus cry *headdesk*

[rymenhild.livejournal.com]

I wish I could put the crossed-out bit on my handout.

[gramarye1971]

First of all, the very fact that you're doing this is made of love.

Everyone seems to have made very good points already, so the only things I can add are:

1) It never hurts to add 'Thank you for your time and consideration.' to the bottom of an e-mail, right before you type your name. It shows in some way that you took the time to realise that the person receiving the e-mail may have Other Things to Do than answer straightaway, and will get back to your e-mail as soon as they can.
2) If the person you're e-mailing doesn't reply immediately (as in less than a day), don't flood the person's inbox with repeated e-mails that say some variation on 'Why haven't you replied to me?'. Not everyone is checking e-mail 24 hours a day. This is why frantic last-minute e-mails to professors generally don't work.

If I can think of any other points, I'll add them.

[shirei-shibolim.livejournal.com]

My own approach would be to write out the entire letter by hand on a piece of paper and see if it looks right, but something tells me that some of these youngins would use n3tspeak in their written correspondence, had they any.

[fleurdelis28.livejournal.com]

I have to admit that at this point in my life, I draft letters on the computer and then copy them out by hand. But then, I don't use n3tspeak in my written correspondence, either.

[concordantnexus.livejournal.com]

If it is pertaining an extension to an assignment, then at least a moderately plausible reason as to why it is late might be in order along with perhaps a quick outline of what's been done so far, what the student got stuck on and what remains to be done?

[rymenhild.livejournal.com]

An excellent suggestion. Incidentally, welcome back -- I thought you were gone from the world of LJ!

[whatifoundthere.livejournal.com]

DO NOT WRITE TO YOUR INSTRUCTORS AT ALL. THEY HATE YOU AND YOU ANNOY THEM.

This comment brought to you by Bugging Me For A Prereq Waiver Seventeen Times Does Not Make Me Any More Likely To Sign One, Inc.

[rymenhild.livejournal.com]

That comment is rendered so much more awesome by your usericon, I must say.

[daegaer.livejournal.com]

Another salutation peeve!

Use Dear Dr/Professor/Ms/Mr Surname, or Dear Firstname, or Yo! Grandmaster of Mutants! as appropriate, but do not use Dear Firstname Surname.

[ex-greythist387.livejournal.com]

Oh, interesting--I've come to understand "Dear Firstname Surname" as the polite dodge for "I don't know whether you're male or female and don't wish to guess wrongly" (or even, "I'm not sure of the title you prefer") in business contexts where it would be inappropriate to go straight for "Dear Firstname."

That is, though it used to bug me, incorrect guesses bug me more. :P

[winding_path]

Most of my suggestions have been made, but one other thing I would mention is to remember that e-mails do not convey tone. So watch out for attempts at humor (which are mostly inappropriate in that sort of situation anyway), and read over it to see if there's any way what you've said could be misinterpreted. That's caused some problems where I work lately.

[rymenhild.livejournal.com]

Oh, that's very important. Thanks.

[saphyria.livejournal.com]

Aside from all that has already been mentioned:

NEVER DO THE ENTIRE EMAIL IN ALL CAPS. IT'S ANNOYING.

*grins*

[rymenhild.livejournal.com]

I'll put that on the list right next to "Never do the whole email in lower-case."

[taylweaver.livejournal.com]

One thing that might be useful is handing them two business letters - one "standard" one and one e-mail speak one. Ask them which one would be appropriate to receive and which would not be viewed as professional if they were the boss. Then, let *them* generate rules for proper e-mails.

After that, you can hand out an example of an e-mail written correctly - with reasons why - and one written incorrectly - with reasons why.

[rymenhild.livejournal.com]

What a good idea. It's so useful having teachers around.

[meadb.livejournal.com]

Before emailing, students should make sure their questions have not been answered on your website, the school website, or in any handouts you've given out. Drives me nuts when they do that. Potential dance students constantly fill out the "contact me" form on my website in order to ask where and when my classes are. Every. Single. Day. Apparently it doesn't occur to them to read the "For Students" page of my website. It's made me much more careful about reading professors' webpages before contacting them...

[goblinmouse.livejournal.com]

I know this is totally after the fact, but...

I'm totally guilty of the leaving off formal address one. Or the Dear Firstname Lastname one. Mostly because everyone seems to care immensely about it and be very peeved when people get the address "wrong" but everyone has a different idea of what is "right." In the past week I have had office mates complain about being addressed by their first name, by their last name, as "professor," as Ms. (she wanted Miss), and as Miss (she was married and wanted Mrs.) in e-mails from students. So I'd rather be careless than wrong. When I really don't know the person, I usually try to glean whether they are a professor or not and go for "Professor ..." if so.

Mostly I keep my annoyance to the content and purpose of the e-mail. If the question is about an assignment or extension, leave enough time that my answer will be worth something to you. If you're doing the assignment at 2am before its due, I don't really want to know (or to help you...)

My only style peeve is excessive exclamation points. Three sentences in a row in an e-mail about homework or course add/drop are probably not that exciting.

[etb.livejournal.com]

In the past week I have had office mates complain about being addressed by their first name, by their last name, as "professor," as Ms. (she wanted Miss)

Wanting "Miss" is tragically stupid; that's not the sender's fault.

, and as Miss (she was married and wanted Mrs.)

And that's stupid on both ends. The sender should use "Ms." and the recipient should want to get "Ms." Did your office just emerge from 1980 via a time warp?

It's hard to be insulted by "Prof." if you're not. My brother once got a letter (an actual letter; this was a long time ago, though not so long ago that "Ms." was nonstandard) from some Greek professor addressed to "Prof. Surname". He was an undergrad at the time and thought it was hilarious.

[goblinmouse.livejournal.com]

Much of my office emerged from other countries in many of which there is not a form for Ms. and they feel that it makes them sounds young or they, for whatever reasons that are not my business, feel that their marital status should be communicated because this is what they are used to.

Really, I prefer Ms. (if you really for some reason cannot handle using my first name.) but I also think it's important to call people what they want to be called. Although I start with Prof. Or Ms. if appropriate, I am willing to call people whatever they ask, even if it seems "stupid" to me, because in the end, it's their name and I am not really in a position to tell anyone what they "should want" to be called.

[etb.livejournal.com]

Much of my office emerged from other countries in many of which there is not a form for Ms.

They're not in those countries. If the particular cultural practice they wanted to import were value-neutral, like a German man insisting on being called Herr (not that I've ever heard of anyone insisting on that) instead of Mr., one might indulge it.* However, this isn't value-neutral: "Miss" and "Mrs." are sexist. They don't magically become not-sexist just because someone is used to them, or thinks they're not sexist, or (more likely) has never given the matter any thought.

* assuming my weak understanding of titles in German (that "Herr" conveys the same near-absence of information as "Mr.") is correct, that is.

I am willing to call people whatever they ask, even if it seems "stupid" to me, because in the end, it's their name

It's not their name; it's their title.

and I am not really in a position to tell anyone what they "should want" to be called.

What if they wanted to be called "Dumbass McStupidpants"? Would you still be in no position to tell them something?

[rymenhild.livejournal.com]

"Mrs." and "Miss" have in the recent past been culturally appropriate titles, and they retain some of their validity even yet, even though I personally prefer not to use them. "Dumbass McStupidpants" has never been an appropriate title.

Welcome to my journal. I'm glad to have you here. While you're here, can I respectfully request that you not start arguments with my friends?

Thank you.

[etb.livejournal.com]

It's your journal. And I'll extend your "not start" to "not continue".

[goblinmouse.livejournal.com]

Sorry! I'll write no more on the subject.

How did the e-mail presentation go over with the class?

[rymenhild.livejournal.com]

Don't worry about it!

I *think* the presentation went well, although the class was fairly quiet. We'll see what happens when students try to e-mail me.

(I may actually have scared them so much that they won't e-mail me at all. This would not be a bad thing.)

[tx-cronopio.livejournal.com]

Best. Response. Ever. Hi, there! I ran across you over at winding_path's LJ in the discussion about bathroom gin...was reading back in your journal, v. interesting! But this is the comment that has made me add you to my flist. Clear, yet firm. Hooray!

[rymenhild.livejournal.com]

*blushes* I was reading the comment threads at Making Light and admiring Teresa Nielsen Hayden's hands-on moderation style at the time. That reply is more or less my attempt to imitate Ms. Nielsen Hayden.

[rymenhild.livejournal.com]

Also, of course I shall friend you back. Do you want to opt in to the teaching or dissertation filters?

[tx-cronopio.livejournal.com]

Teaching, pls! Tks!

[rymenhild.livejournal.com]

Really, I prefer Ms. (if you really for some reason cannot handle using my first name.) but I also think it's important to call people what they want to be called. Although I start with Prof. Or Ms. if appropriate, I am willing to call people whatever they ask, even if it seems "stupid" to me, because in the end, it's their name and I am not really in a position to tell anyone what they "should want" to be called.

Well said.

[gules]

I've recently been guilty of spreading the lower-case epidemic, although unaccompanied by the other symptoms you mention. In my defense, the addressee was my proctor and academic advisor, not a professor, and she -- this will unavoidably sound rather juvenile! -- started it.

Would you say that I was right to follow her lead, or that my superior was owed the formality of capitalization despite her own typographical choices? (The question isn't intended to be impertinent or rhetorical, since the situation is ongoing; guidance would be appreciated.)

Purdue's handout

[cronquist.livejournal.com]

Way way way after you actually blogged this (I can't believe how long it took me to actually go to your blog), here's something I found yesterday: Purdue's E-mail Ettiquette for Students. See http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/printable/694/

BTW, will you friend me back?

--Catherine

Re: Purdue's handout

[rymenhild.livejournal.com]

Already did. Hi there!