Jessica Michaelson

SLM 521

May 31, 2005

 

EMAIL SUGGESTIONS AND TIPS 

 

These tips are for students in the fifth grade whose ages are ten and eleven.

 

These pointers will make it so that there is no misunderstandings within your emails, and so that a person can effectively communicate with another person electronically.

 

1.    Don’t worry about spelling and grammar too much if you are just writing a quick note or question.  You don’t want to spend too much time making a little piece of information perfect, especially if it is just to a friend.

 

2.  If you are sending an email to a teacher, or someone you are trying to impress, you should spell check your work, and check for grammatical errors.  Sloppiness is not impressive.  You could lose points on a project, or possibly get no response.

 

3.  If you write a sentence that you meant as a joke, write that you are joking.  The person may not understand what you meant, and you are not there to explain yourself.  This could cause fights between your friends and yourself.

 

4.  You do not have to write every little detail in your email.  Save yourself some time.  If the person you are writing to has a question, they can always reply back with it.

 

5.  If you are writing an email with a certain emotion, address that within your text.  For example, if you are really happy, say so.  The person receiving the email cannot see your face or hear your voice, so you need to let them know some other way.

 

6.  Keep in mind that everyone does not have the same computer.  So, if you spend a lot of time on the set-up of your letter, it may not look the same when the person receives the email.  For example, if you choose to list things, it may show up as a text that is very broken up.

 

7.  Do not write in all capitals.  People see that as shouting when it is done in an email.  (Unless you want to SHOUT!!)

 

8.  Always include a subject, and make sure it has to do with the message you are sending.  This is the first thing that is read.  Be sure to capture their attention.

 

9.  If you are asking for something, make sure to say please.  If you are receiving something, make sure to say thank you.  Although you should already know this, it tends to get forgotten in emails.  If you seem to be rude about something, you may not get what you want.

 

10.        If you choose to use the smiley faces such as :) or :(, do not use them too often.  They tend to lose their importance if they are seen too much.

 

 

*These are just some tips and suggestions.  There are plenty more, some of which you already know.  Keep these in mind to help you effectively communicate.