[Dialogue] Thoughts on E-mail List Netiquette

[Harry Wainwright]

Colleagues,

Here are some of my reflections on using the e-mail list of which we are
subscribers.  I always put these kinds of thoughts in the “For what it is
worth dept!”  Or in e-mail talk, IMHO!

1.	Please be careful when forwarding e-mail from others.  I always
appreciate knowing where the e-mail originates and the original source.  In
the past there have been a number of “urban hoaxes” being forwarded around
without checking out the source.  For such items you may want to check out
http://hoaxbusters.ciac.org/ or http://www.urbanlegends.com/ or
http://snopes.com/.
2.	Please be aware that including the original header in the forward may not
be helpful especially to the sender and recipients of the originating
e-mail.  On forwards I normally delete the original header and include a
statement a general source of the e-mail, e.g., colleagues I have known for
years, etc.
3.	On many forwards the e-mail processing, double-spacing, indenting, etc,
skews the formatting of the message.  Please use your e-mail editor to
correct this before pressing the send button.
4.	Having a web site send the e-mail, e.g., a newspaper, magazine, advocacy
group, could prevent the e-mail posting to the list.  This is because the
web site e-mail address becomes the sender and not you.  Your address is
listed as a subscriber, not another web site e-mail address.  I recommend
sending an e-mail to the list from your e-mail address and include the web
site URL as part of the message.  Examples of this are found in Item 1
above.
5.	I routinely delete a forward that recommends immediately forwarding it to
my friends!  If you want this to happen, please put the statement in your
own words with your reasons.  Personalization is always good for the
recipient.
6.	When replying to an e-mail list, you may wish to delete or edit most of
the original message or messages.  Those of us on the list will have read
the original messages.  Sometimes you may wish to include just a few lines
you wish to comment about.
7.	If your reply is for the individual only, please replace the list address
in the To line with their individual address.
8.	Many lists convert any formatted (HTML) messages to text.  This is to
prevent any code from being executed that may be imbedded within formatted
(HTML) messages.
9.	Many lists remove attachments.  This is to prevent any malicious programs
from being executed.  Unless I know the recipient personally and trust the
attachment, I do not open.
10.	Some e-mail lists limit the size of the message to 40K.  Since most
e-mail users have dial up modem connections, this is a big consideration.
11.	When sending an item from a newspaper, magazine, website, etc. you might
consider a few lines of summary with a link to the website rather than
copying and pasting into the e-mail.  I have received 15-20 page e-mail
messages when a simple link would do!  Remember when using information from
another source, please give attribution and if possible a link to a website
where further information may be found.

Peace,
Harry