PoliBlog

If e-mail is the life-blood of the Internet, it needs an occasional transfusion.

Follow a few rules to smooth your communications. See below what I call The Big Three:

• Use plain text. Don't use HTML or formatted text. You wouldn't mail a word-processed letter using purple text in a script font; likewise for e-mail. Formal e-mail uses formal structure. This also goes for automated signature text that gets appended to the body of the e-mail. Keep in mind that formatted text that looks snazzy on your computer may not display correctly on other computer systems. The sender has no assurance that the recipient will see passionate pink on their screen.
  
• Use standard lower case text construction, reserving the use of ALL CAPS for acronyms. Don't use ALL CAPS for emphasis. I have been guilty of this myself and thus "take the fifth" but feel the guilt. If absolutely necessary to add emphasis, use asterisks around *such text* to highlight words. Better yet, to add clarity, separate the text in a paragraph or line on it's own. Paragraphs and lists help bring clarity and emphasis to communication. ALL CAPS on the Internet is the text version of face-to-face SHOUTING.
• Use BCC when sending e-mail to multiple recipients on a mailing list. BCC delivers mail to group recipients without pelting them with the other e-mail addresses. Never use the CC field to send general notices for the following reasons: 1) Using CC assumes that all recipients are familiar with each other and agree to sharing their e-mail addresses. Protect the privacy of your recipients. Don't broadcast their e-mail addresses around the world to a list of fifty recipients who have no idea who the other people are. Dong so embarrasses everyone on the list. 2) Spammers and viruses love it. Sending only one e-mail loaded with CC e-mail addresses to just one recipient who has a computer virus guarantees that everyone on your CC list will also receive the virus. This is not a means to win friends.

More on netiquette can be gleaned from David Tuffley's web page.
Transfusion complete.