Email etiquette

Sending an email is probably one of the first things everyone does when they get an internet connection, but there's more to it than rattling out a message and clicking the 'send' button.

Effective emailing is hardly an art but there are some basics you need to remember if you want to get the most out of it.

Here, then, are our 11 basic rules for writing and sending an email. Read and remember each one and you'll be emailing like a professional in no time.

1. Where to, Guv?
A misaddressed letter might get to its intended destination if it's handled by a vigilant postman but at best, a misaddressed email will get bounced right back to you.

At worst, it'll get sent to someone else entirely and, depending on what you're sending, that can have all manner of repercussions. So, always double-check what you type in the address box as a matter of course.

2. " "
The first anyone sees of an email is an entry in their inbox and, if there's no subject, the only way of knowing what the email is about is to open it.

If you get five emails a day this isn't a big deal, but if you get 50 it's a real time waster. Worse still, subject-free emails make inbox management a nightmare, since there's no way to quickly distinguish one email from another.

3. DON'T SHOUT
IN ONLINE AFFAIRS, ANYONE WHO ONLY WRITES IN CAPITAL LETTERS IS CONSIDERED TO BE SHOUTING.

Quite apart from the fact that shouting when you should be talking is rude, all-caps emails are difficult to read, so keep the Caps Lock key off.

4. Please be polite
Emails are great for casual communication but that doesn't mean that every communication should be casual. In other words, mind your manners and start your emails with a greeting and sign off with a goodbye.

Messages that omit either can come across as abrupt and brash - is that really what you want people to think?

5. Chek yor speling
Believe it or not, good spelling isn't just something they teach at Hogwart's. Emails that are riddled with spelling mistakes are emails from sloppy, thoughtless people who couldn't care less - or at least that's the impression people will get.

If you don't have one already, download and install one of the many free email spellcheckers. There's even one specifically for Outlook Express here.

6. Who are you?
Saying hello and goodbye is one thing; actually saying who you are is quite another.

If you're Mary_Jackson@btinternet.com, you can just about get away with not signing off your emails with your name, but if you're JSmi010933 or cutie_pie@hotmail.com you can't.

Always end your emails with your name and, if it's an email to Computeractive, give your full name.

7. Blink and we'll miss it
Just because your email application can send messages in inch-high, flashing red letters that look like they've been written in crayon on flock wallpaper, it doesn't mean you have to. Messages in simple, plain text work best.

Limit yourself to bold and italics if you want to go crazy. Fancy effects just make emails slower to send and receive, and recipients with email applications that can't understand them will just see lots of empty space.

Recipients with email applications that can will probably just delete your garish message without reading it.

8. Have an air of detachment
Emailing a file to someone as an attachment is incredibly handy but it pays to think before you click the 'send' button.

Not everyone has a super fast broadband internet connection and not everyone wants to spend two hours downloading a 15MB file which they may not want in the first place.

Always check with the recipient before you send a large attachment and, if you're sending a photo, resize it for email use.

9. Copy carefully
If you're sending the same email to lots of different people, think twice before you type their email addresses in the To: or Cc: boxes.

Addresses entered here are visible to every recipient and some people may not thank you for spreading their details about.

Instead, use the Blind carbon copy box (Bcc) and then recipients will just see their own email address and no one else's.

10. Read before sending
A minute spent reading through an email before you send it can catch all kinds of silly mistakes.

It can also give you a fresh perspective on something you thought was a good idea when you wrote it but perhaps is less clever in hindsight.

Just ask Claire Swire, whose racy email to her boyfriend ended up being forwarded to thousands and thousands of people around the world.

11. Be patient
Just because you can write and send an email in a matter of minutes, it doesn't follow that the recipient will respond in a similar amount of time.

If the email is urgent, mark it so (there's a Message Priority drop-down list when you send a message in Outlook Express); otherwise, give the person ample time to reply before sending another message.