1. Email is convenient, but it shouldn’t completely replace phone calls or meetings. For important or complicated matters, pick up the phone
2. Use a great subject line – straight and to the point to let the recipient know the value of the email.
3. In your email, be short and direct  – if too repetitive and redundant the recipient will stop reading and skim it.
4. You may think using a colored or unusual font, or formatted background design in your emails makes them stand out, but don’t use them with official emails.  They are not professional and they make your message hard to read.
5. Double check your email before pushing the send button for spelling errors, and the correct recipient – as most of the time there is no “take-back” button. Also, remember that spell check doesn’t correct misspelled words that a actually other correct words.
6. The shorter the better – these days many are reading emails on handheld devices, and what may be short to you on the computer screen, will be a novel on their handheld.
7. If the email is of a very important or volatile nature, don’t respond immediately – give it some time and your emotion or urgency of the email will lessen with time and therefore be a more valid response.

Stacee Howse, New LifeStyles IT director