Top Ten E-mail Suggestions for High School Students

By Ms. Redding

 

 

  1. Chose your e-mail address carefully.  If you have the choice to create your e-mail address, be sure to make it appropriate for all audiences.  Imnumber1@hotmail.com portrays an image that you many not necessarily want. 

 

  1. Always place a subject in the subject line.  This gives your reader advanced knowledge to what the e-mail is concerning.  Sometimes it makes the difference to if the reader will open the e-mail or not.

 

  1. Know your audience.  Writing an e-mail to your best friend is different than your teacher.  To your friend you can be more casual and used expressions and abbreviations.  However, to a more formal audience be sure to use professional language.

 

  1. Grammar can be important.  If you are constantly misspelling words, the reader will tend to think less of you.  Spell check whenever possible. 

 

  1. Make your format simple.  Not all e-mail users can view the same format you use.  Graphics and colored text may not show up on the sent message. 

 

  1. Include information about you.  This will help the reader figure out who you are and why you are writing.  Make sure to include your name, your connection to the reader, and why you are writing. 

 

  1. Keep it short.  People receive many e-mails each day, all day.  To save your time and theirs make sure to keep your e-mail short and to the point.  If you get too wordy and lengthy the e-mail could become confusing.

 

  1. Use expressions and icons.  Learn to use capital and lower case letters, asterisks, and parentheses to express your feelings.  For example if something is important use all capital letters to express the importance of the statement.  Also use things such as smileys and icons to express your feelings. ; )

 

  1. Eliminate unnecessary forwards.  Everyone enjoys getting e-mail, but filter what you send.  Also know who it is appropriate to send forwards to.

 

  1. Respond in a timely manner.  Be polite.  If an e-mail contains information that seems to be important to the sender, respond as soon as you can.  This shows your concerns for the sender’s feelings.