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March/April 2003
Content
. . . University Wordmark/Logo Update - please see the CIT Toolkit page
. . . Reduce E-mail Overload
Reduce E-mail Overload
According to two reports released in January on Internet usage, personal communications (e-mail and instant messaging) is the most popular online activity by a significant margin (see below). Most of us like to use e-mail; yet, most of us complain about the amount of e-mail we receive.
Responsibility for reducing e-mail overload rests with each of us. Andy Kaufman, in his e-book "How to Organize Your Inbox and Get Rid of E-Mail Clutter," offers five questions each of us can ask before sending e-mail. Use these questions to send proper e-mail and to help reduce the clutter in other people's inboxes.
1. Does this really need to be communicated?
- Don't send your colleagues or friends chain letters, virus hoaxes, or jokes. If you receive a virus "alert" from someone check with your unit computer support person or Terry Bockstadter to find out if it is real or not. If you want to send jokes to friends, check with them first to see if they want to receive that kind of e-mail.
- Never say anything in an e-mail note that you would not send on a postcard. Remember, e-mail can easily be forwarded to others (or can be sent to the wrong address).
2. Is e-mail really the best way to communicate it?
- Never write an e-mail when you are angry.
- Kaufman provides a good guideline to use when deciding how to communicate: "The more sensitive the issue, the richer medium." E-mail is in fact one of the weakest forms of communications. Using the phone (even voicemail) is richer and in-person, one-on-one, is the richest medium.
- You may want to use e-mail to follow-up, if it is necessary for documentation purposes.
3. Who really needs to know this?
- Make sure you are sending the note to the right people who will take action on the item.
- Only send a copy of a message (cc:) to others if they have a real need to know.
- Before clicking on the Send button, double-check your recipient list in the To: field to make sure you have the correct addresses.
4. What's the most appropriate content?
- Keep your message short and to-the-point.
- Be polite — include a salutation ("Dear Jane") and a closing ("Thanks, John"). This also helps people know that you sent the note — it's not a virus-created note.
- When replying, don't resend the entire original message — especially not the attachment(s). Keep just enough text to provide context for your answers or comments.
- Only send an attachment to those who need it. It is preferred that you NOT send attachments to e-mail listservs. Instead, make the file available by request or make it available via a website or FTP server.
- Use the spell check function AND re-read the e-mail to make sure it makes sense (i.e., not missing words or using the wrong word, such as "there" for "their").
5. How can I best help the recipient take action on this?
- Write a clear, succinct description in the subject line. You should know that if you forget to provide a subject, some people will delete the message without looking at it.
- Put keywords in the subject line to help recipients know how to handle the message. For example, use FYI if no action is required and URGENT if the message truly requires immediate attention.
- If you require action or a reply by a certain date, put that in the subject line.
Sources:
- "Email Overload," by William Powell, Training & Development, December 2002.
- "How to Reduce E-Mail Clutter," Horizon Time, July 2002. A free monthly newsletter from the Institute for Leadership Excellence and Development, Andy Kaufman, President. <www.i-leadonline.com/newsletter/0207.htm>
- "Avoid Common E-Mail Faux Pas," TechKnowledge, March 2003. Information & Access Technology Services, University of Missouri-Columbia. <iatservices.missouri.edu/techknowledge/03-2003/e-mail.html>
- "Listserv and E-mail Etiquette," CIT Information, June 2000. <cit.information.unl.edu/archive/info0600.htm>
~ Pam Peters
UCLA Center for Communication Policy - Internet Project Year Three of the UCLA Internet Report, released January 29, 2003 "In 2000, the first report of the UCLA Internet Project created a baseline profile of behavior and attitudes about Internet use and non-use in five major subjects: In 2001 and 2002, the UCLA Internet Project continued its year-to-year appraisal of more than 100 major issues, focusing on Internet users vs. non-users, as well as new users (less than one year of experience) compared to very experienced users (six or more years of experience)." Consumer Internet Barometer The Consumer Internet Barometer is produced jointly by NFO WorldGroup, Forrester Research and The Conference Board. It tracks consumers'evolving usage, trust and satisfaction with the Internet over time and identifies emerging trends. Press Release, January 2, 2003. |