Tips for Writing Effective E-mails

Do your professors complain about your e-mail skills?  How important is e-mail, anyway, when you’re communicating in a university setting?  This list contains links to sites which discuss writing effective e-mails.  See how many tips you already know, and find out ways to make your professors notice your e-mails in a good way!

Links to e-mail “netiquette” tips

http://webfoot.com/advice/email.top.html

This is a very in-depth resource that discusses not only how to write effective e-mails, but what makes communicating by e-mail different.  The authors also discuss technical aspects of e-mail such as domain names and using extended character sets for different text effects).  This site is a little longer than the others and more thorough, but it’s well-organized and the information is valuable for learning more about how e-mail works and about communicating effectively in an online environment.

http://jerz.setonhill.edu/writing/e-text/e-mail.htm

This site gives lots of examples, of everything from effective subject lines to identifying yourself clearly.  There are also some references for other resources on e-mail etiquette.

http://blog.guykawasaki.com/2006/02/the_effective_e.html

This blog has more tips for writing effective e-mails (heavy on things that annoy this author in particular, but some of them are certainly valid J).  The writing style of this blog is also entertaining and informal, which makes it fun to read.  

http://www.theenglishweb.com/articles/effective-emails.php

This site is short and easy-to-digest, and gives some tips for non-native English speakers (although section 3, which gives tips for writing in simple language, could be simpler).

http://www.43folders.com/2005/09/19/writing-sensible-email-messages/

This one frames the tips in a rhetorical/information fluency context (including determining why you need to write the e-mail, determining the desired response, and crafting the e-mail to get that response). 

http://www.mindtools.com/email.html

This resource is short, easy-to-read, and has a couple of surprising content twists that keep it interesting. 

http://www.uwc.ucf.edu/Writing%20Resources/Handouts/email_tips.htm

This is our own UCF writing center’s resource. 

http://web.mit.edu/pgbovine/www/email-tips.htm

This one has suggestions for using cc: and bcc: effectively.  There is also emphasis on determining whether e-mail is the best form of correspondence for the situation.