Speakeasy: Netiquette
“So many people are not clear communicators,” said Judith Kallos, creator of NetManners.com, a site dedicated to online etiquette, and author of “Because Netiquette Matters.” To be clear about what an e-mail message is trying to say, and about what is implied as well as what is stated, “the reader is left looking at everything from the greeting to the closing for clues,” she said.
- 'Yours Truly,' the E-Variations, NY Times, 11.25.06
Since starting work at the Mouse, almost all my e-communications end in 'Thanks,' unless I'm sending an intentionally curt response. At that point, I drop the salutation and just use my initials (ooooh, burn!).
I have much more trouble with the greeting in an email. I have a tendency to use "Hi [name]," or the over-exclamatory "Hi!" or the, perhaps, too open to interpretation of intent "Hey."
How do you say hello and goodbye in your emails?
Comments
Back in the early days of the Internet, I noticed that some people assumed that unless I wrote something nice at both the beginning and end of my e-mail, I was pissed off and being glib. So I started every e-mail with "Dear" and ended 'em with ": )". I'm glad those days are behind me.
Despite my charm and boyish good looks, I'm not always quaint and cutesy.
Business e-mails usually start with a "My name is ..." and end up with "Please let me know if you have any questions."