Netiquette

Steps towards email manners

As a first principle, show respect. Never send an email you wouldn’t like to receive yourself. If you wouldn’t say something to a person face to face, then you shouldn’t write it in an email. People don’t turn off their feelings when they turn on their computer.

Check before sending

Take a few momments to profread before you sned something! Frequent typographical errors or misspellings will distract readers and can leave a bad impression. Always use the spell checker.

Be clear and concise

Emails should be easy to understand, so avoid too much background information. If the message needs a lot of detail, perhaps email is not the best way to communicate it.

Beware of acronyms

Not everyone reading your email will be familiar with NHS jargon or even words that are local to your area. So always provide a brief description of unfamiliar terms. Never use text speak – such as, IMHO (In My Humble Opinion) or FWIW (For What It’s Worth). Acronyms can confuse.

Watch your language

Never - and that does mean never - use words that could be considered sexist, racist or ageist, or express a social viewpoint that could be regarded as insensitive, prejudiced or biased – and therefore disrespectful. Offensive language is contrary to the code of behaviour.

Don’t turn a ‘flame’ into a forest fire.

A ‘flame’ is email content that takes a particularly nasty, mean-spirited tone. So, in response, never criticise the sender online. Personal attacks inhibit communication by raising everyone’s defences. Instead, email an alternative perspective.

Try to ignore others’ attempts to antagonise. If you are offended by something online, express your feelings calmly to the appropriate person - preferably by private email, not by ‘reply all’. If you feel that the behaviour is not a one-off or if it falls into the realm of racism, sexism or is threatening, alert your line manager or consult a confidential contact as appropriate.

Be patient and polite

Not everyone has an equal understanding of email technology, or perhaps the topic being discussed, so there may be occasional misunderstandings. Try to resolve these quickly and with courtesy.

Don’t use ALL CAPITALS

Using capitals is the equivalent of SHOUTING on line. To emphasise, use an asterisk (*) before and after the word you want to stress. For example:

*I* said that we should all go to meeting room 1 for this discussion.

I said that we should *all* go to meeting room 1 for this discussion.

I said that we should all go to *meeting room 1* for this discussion

Be cautious with humour

It’s very common to be misunderstood when using humour or irony, some readers may not get the joke. Instead, use ‘emoticons’, the icons that express emotions. You may think them unnecessary or silly, but they have a valid purpose. In emails we cannot pick up facial expressions or tone of voice, so these icons can provide important information about your exact meaning.

The most commonly used emoticon is the ‘smiley’ ... : - ) ... created by typing a colon followed by a dash and a bracket. A ‘winking smiley’ is often used after someone makes a wry joke and wants to be certain that the reader ‘hears’ the ironic tone. For this simply substitute the colon for a semi-colon ... ; - )

Use email responsibly

Don’t be a cyber bully. If you’ve got a concern or a grumble – do you need to include anyone else other than the person you really need to tell? Likewise if you are e-mailing tasks and there are many ‘to do’s’ involved, pick up the phone and alert people. Better still, meet them if possible. Be sure any deadlines you set are realistic.

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