99 Email Security, Netiquette and Productivity Tips Fri 22 Dec 06

The folks at ITSecurity have a great article, Hacking Email: 99 Email Security and Productivity Tips that lists 99 great tips that can improve our use of email.  Email at times can be a powerful and useful communication tool.  At other times it can be the bane of our existence when the inbox is overflowing.  Take a look at these tips, I think you'll find them useful.  (Thanks to Grigor at behind the glasses for providing the link to this article.)

The two tips that I found especially significant were:

22. Remember the telephone. Unless you need a written record of a given communication (or if the person you're communicating with is long distance), consider calling (or sending a letter to) your intended recipient instead of an email. People often default to writing an email because it is quick and easy; but sometimes a handwritten letter or phone call can provide the personal touch your communication really needs.

42. Cut to the chase. Sometimes a text chat is the best way to resolve a communication quickly, instead of sending a dozen emails back and forth. By keeping the bank and forth emails to a minimum, you keep your inbox under control and prevent the need to declare email bankruptcy and starting all over.

I've always told the people that work for me about Schaffner's 3 email rule which is based on some of the same concepts that tips #22 and #42 are but with something extra.

If the email thread goes beyond 3 levels and it is more than a factual providing of information and more like a conversation then it is time to stop emailing, get up out of your cubicle and go talk to the person face-to-face (or if distance precludes then talk by telephone).

My reasoning is that with the inherent limitations of email (and for instant messaging too) where there is no body language feedback, or intonation of speech etc. you quickly have a "conversation" where the two parties are talking "at" each other rather then "with" each other.  Although this can happen with face-to-conversations if you are not careful, why not take the effort to increase the chances of a true exchange of viewpoints?

Break that email chain and actually go talk with someone.  You just might find out what you need and maybe some more and probably quicker too!

What email tips or rules do you have?