12 tips to perfect your email etiquette

That’s no longer the reality. In our culture of instant gratification we expect instant answers and responses. It’s no wonder our email interactions are a big part of our lives, both personal and professional.

Email is here to stay. That’s why it’s important to remember the rules of proper email etiquette.

1. When in doubt, leave it out.

People can misunderstand words and use them against you. Once an email is out there, you can’t take it back. If you are worried someone will see or read it, do yourself a favor and don’t send it. Call the person instead.

2. BCC will come back to bite you.

In most scenarios, using BCC is kind of like talking about a person behind his or her back. It’s not cool in real life, and definitely not cool in an email. It will probably come back to haunt you in one way or another.

When is it OK to use BCC? When you send an email to a group but don’t want everyone to be able to see everyone else’s email addresses. In that situation though, I urge you to think twice and make sure everyone you will send the email to really wants to get it.