WebJunction - Email

E-mail is the most popular and most frequently used Internet application, and not surprisingly, that holds true for library patrons. E-mail enables you to send and receive messages both inside and outside of the library. The speed of e-mail is its key benefit, and its convenience has changed the way we communicate with individuals and groups. E-mail can be used to promote discussions, to pass on quick notes, to have conversations, to compose formal letters, or even to negotiate contracts. Even people who use no other online resource generally use e-mail.

Major features

E-mail combines the speed and efficiency of the telephone with the written nature of the letter, preserving and recording the written word.
E-mail allows users to communicate almost as simultaneously or in real time as the telephone.
Unlike the phone, e-mail allows for the transfer of files and documents.
Communication can also take place whenever and wherever the participants choose, freeing correspondents from the 9-5 office environment and minimizing the time difference between correspondents in distant locations.
E-mail can reduce time spent in meetings by educating library staff on issues before a meeting, or by using e-mail to bypass the need to meet entirely.
E-mail enables the library staff to contact many correspondents at once, eliminating production and postage costs.

E-mail changes the way in which we exchange information.

E-mail has revived the letter as an appropriate informal means of communication.
E-mail has renewed the importance of clear and concise writing in the workplace.
Used properly, e-mail can promote an online community.
E-mail can be an effective advocacy tool.

E-mail as a feature of your Web site

E-mail encourages users to correspond within your library or between libraries by making e-mail as convenient as filling out a form. The e-mail can be imbedded into a Web site, or the Web site can provide the e-mail addresses of the library staff.

Accessing e-mail

E-mail is usually accessed through a separate e-mail application such as Eudora Pro or Microsoft Outlook. E-mail messages are stored on your library server or on the server at your library's Internet Service Provider (ISP). If your library or any staff member is using a free Web-based e-mail program, the e-mail application is embedded in the service's home page; the e-mail is housed on that company's server. You might also run into other e-mail programs such as Netscape Mail (a Web-based program) or Pine (an older, pre-Web e-mail interface for Unix-based systems). TechSoup recommends Eudora or Outlook as efficient and feature-laden choices.

Many library staff members use the Web-based variety for their personal e-mail, and installed e-mail applications for their work-related e-mail accounts.

Installed e-mail applications enable the user to:

Filter mail into different mailboxes upon delivery.
Manually move messages to different mailboxes.
Change the priority of messages.
Search the entire e-mail folder for a specific message (go to edit menu, then find).
Resend messages to make them appear as new.
Change the status of messages.

Free Web-based e-mail, although not appropriate for library staff work, is a good choice for personal e-mail. While there is no hard and fast rule prohibiting library staff from using Web based e-mail, there are several reasons why it could prove inconvenient. For example, with an e-mail program installed on the computer, there is no need to go online to look at past messages, while with Web based email, you need to go online to access a mailbox. Online e-mail depends on the speed of the Internet connection to access each piece, which can be slower then just downloading mail into a mailbox. If the network is down for any reason, the library would lose access to its mailbox entirely.

Web based e-mail is useful when you are working outside of the office, and you need to e-mail files or documents to yourself. Web based e-mail can act as a virtual briefcase that can follow you everywhere you go (providing there is Internet access at your location). One caveat: Many free e-mail programs will overwhelm their users with spam. Use the spam guard options on Web based e-mail if they are available.

Here are a few free Web-based, commercial e-mail programs to get you familiar with the genre. There are many more e-mail providers out there. Be aware that any Web site can go out of service, so save any important documents to your hard drive.

Writing effective e-mail

Writing e-mail can be tricky. Remember that you do not need to be as formal as you would be in a letter, but do not forget that you are being documented.

Subject headings for e-mail are essential. Use descriptive subject headings- do not use "Info" or other vague description lines. Use abbreviated attention-getters in the subject line, especially if the recipient gets a lot of e-mail Here are some examples:

RE: Regarding (Re: Staff Photo Shoot). Re: is generally used when you are replying to an e-mail sent to you or your group.

URGENT: Urgent request (Urgent: need CD for new version of Word.)

FYI: For Your Information (FYI: Toilet paper is now located in the hall closet.)

REQ: Request (REQ: If anyone is driving to the East Bay, I would like a ride.)

Damage control

The main fact to remember with e-mail is that once you hit Send, the message is out of your hands. This seems obvious, but it is often difficult for people to remember that once they send an e-mail, it can be transferred, transposed, or misdirected. So take a minute to proofread your e-mail and run the spelling checker. Due to the rapid response time of e-mail, things can easily become confused and messy. Sarcasm and humor often don't translate in e-mail, and a flippant remark could hurt both the sender and the receiver of the message. If you wouldn't say it to the person's face, think twice before you commit it to e-mail. Keep in mind, whatever you send is recorded permanently on the server. Even after an e-mail is deleted, it remains, lingering on the server.

And then, there's the painful and sometimes damaging experience, which many of us have had on an especially bad day, of sending e-mail to someone other than the intended recipient (most often a problem with replying to messages which have been sent as part of a listserv distribution, so that everyone on the list receives the answer meant for one person).

Until you've discussed your personal life with a listserv, which includes professional colleagues all across the country, or negotiated your raise in the view of everyone in your organization, you don't know what embarrassment is. There's an easy way to avoid this: Stop and look at the To line before you hit "send." Always. Regina Preciado's "The Freudian Send" is my favorite example of the damage that e-mail can do, if sent in haste.

Finally, the law regarding e-mail sent from your library's computer is pretty unambiguous -- the mail doesn't belong to you, it belongs to the library. So while you have the illusion of privacy, your library could search the server for any reason and retrieve the e-mail you sent/received from your computer.

" A sip of water from a fire hydrant."

E-mail communication can easily become overwhelming. It is not uncommon for a staff member to receive 100 or more e-mails a day. This volume can be overwhelming, and it can inspire a very counterproductive e-mail rebellion. The only way to avoid this nuisance is to filter your e-mail into different mailboxes. If you are a subscriber to listservs, you will receive large amounts of daily e-mail. You do not need to read your e-mail immediately. And you do not need to leave it all in your main inbox. In Eudora or Outlook, it is also a good discipline to clear out your main inbox every week or so. This keeps the box from getting too full, removes storage pressure on your library's server, and helps you to throw away things you don't need (and discover important messages you forgot to answer before it's too late).

E-mail is not restricted to one-on-one communication. There are many other e-mail-related activities. E-mail technologies have created online communities that are an invaluable component of the workplace. Examples of these online communities are called Listservs. Listservs often have their own jargon and series of abbreviations. See the related article Guide to Mailing Lists for more information on Listservs and other Internet mailing lists..

Here are some of the most common e-mail abbreviations:

BTW - By The Way
FYI - For Your Information
IMHO - In My Humble/Honest Opinion
HTH - Hope That Helps
LOL - Laughing Out Loud
RSN - Real Soon Now
ROTFL - [I am] Rolling On The Floor Laughing [at what you wrote]
OTOH/OTO- On The One Hand/On The Other Hand
NRN - No Response Needed (for the e-mail-this is the end of the conversation.)

Recommended Reading:

Howard Rheingold's The Virtual Community: Homesteading on the Electronic Frontier.

Jim Britell's article illuminates the dark and scary world of managing your e-mail.