By Dr. Philip Baczewski, Associate Director of Academic Computing

An Etiquette of E-mail

For this month's Network Connection, I've reached way back in the files of this column to retrieve an article that was originally published in April of 1991, when the column was called "The Bitnet Connection." I had decided to revisit the subject of E-mail etiquette and appropriate use and looked at this old column as a reference. What I found out was that the advice I published in 1991 still holds true today. The only difference is that now more people than ever are using E-mail but not following these guidelines. The only change made to this reprint was the removal of two references to BITNET. The only explicit advice I'd add to the discussion below is: be sure not to reply to everyone when only one person needs your response! Hopefully, you will find it as useful as I have in the last ten years of following these guidelines. - pcb

Back in the "old" days people were forced to perform their communication through writing, by hand, on blank sheets of paper and then conveying those blank sheets to others. It is even reported that the U.S. Postal Service, today known primarily for its ability to deliver multitudes of "junk mail" and bills to your door, conveyed large numbers of these hand-written communiqués, known as "letters." The exchange of letters tended to foster a certain style of communication: letters were received and thoughtfully read; letters were generally more formal than spoken communication; letters had permanence and could be saved for later reference; in responding to letters, people would often think and then write one sentence, think and write another sentence, etc. Now days, electronic mail has revolutionized communication. There is no need for paper or messy hand writing utensils. You no longer have to use that formal writing style. Mail is received and read with heretofore unknown speed. It's now possible to dash off a reply to an electronic mail message without even thinking.

No Flames Please

Well, maybe it's not quite that cut and dried, but electronic mail does seem to have the ability to evoke what are known in E-mail circles as "flames:" emotional responses to messages which don't necessarily do much for fostering effective communication. Norman Z. Shapiro and Robert H. Anderson, in a report prepared for the National Science Foundation and published by the Rand Corporation, list several possible causes for the flame phenomenon1:

• Difficulty in determining the formality of a message from its appearance;

• Attempts at humor, irony, sarcasm, and wit are often misinterpreted;

• Cues such as body language [or voice inflection] are lacking in electronic mail;

• The ease of an immediate "reply" encourages "off the top of the head" responses;

• Electronic messages containing hasty or ill-chosen words can stay in electronic in boxes or can be printed in a way that gives them importance never intended.

Although anonymity is often mentioned as a factor, we have observed no significant difference in "flaming" between remote correspondents who don't know each other personally, compared with communication among people who know each other.

Shapiro and Anderson go on to give several suggestions for minimizing the possible problems of "escalating emotions:"

• Carefully label message that have a deliberate emotional content. Sometimes just the annotation "Flame! Flame!" alerts the reader to the fact that the writer knows he or she is being emotional;

• Resist the temptation to fire off a response. Write the response, file it away, and wait 24 hours. Reconsider the response later, in the light of a new day (and perhaps a rereading and reinterpretation of the original message);

• Use alternative media to break the cycle of message-and-response. A telephone call or personal conversation can do wonders, when we can use body language, eye contact, and the other cues we've developed.

The Etiquette

Just as in other human situations, the development of an etiquette can help solve some of the problems which potentially arise with electronic communication. John Quarterman, in his book entitled The Matrix, offers a number of suggestions concerning E-mail etiquette when sending messages to others or posting messages to LISTSERV or USENET lists2:

• Electronic mail is not like other media. Treating E-mail just like the telephone, paper mail, or any other medium can lead to misunderstandings and mistakes.

• Emulate experienced users. See how those already posting to mailing lists make the most effective use of those forums.

• Be brief. Often a few well-chosen words are better than long-winded elaborations.

• Label your message. Choose a title that fits the subject and stick to it.

• Remember your audience. Use language, references, and subjects that will be comprehensible and not objectionable.

• Choose an appropriate medium and forum. Use a conference or mailing list on a topic related to that of your message.

• Identify yourself. Sign your message with some appropriate information such as your name and affiliation.

• Post new ideas. Try not to repeat what has already been said except in brief confirmation.

• Respond to the topic and not the person. Try to understand what the person is saying. If you can't understand what the person is saying, ask. If you must criticize someone, give them a chance to respond. If you comment on the style of a message, respond to the content as well.

• Read other messages before responding. Others may have already made the same obvious response.

• Don't respond in anger. Wait a few minutes or hours, or even until the next day. If you are still angry when you respond, say so.

• Give the benefit of the doubt. Mistakes, misunderstandings, and ignorance are far more common than maliciousness.

• Be careful with humor and sarcasm. Many people have trouble recognizing these things even in person. Some networks have developed typographic conventions to get around the difficulties of expressing subtleties of expression through ASCII characters. One of the more universal is that UPPER CASE means shouting. Another is the use of the sideways "smiley face," :) or :-), to indicate lack of serious intent.

• Do be encouraging and polite. The most effective encouragement is often a simple response acknowledging a posting.

• Discourage when necessary. But do it privately and politely when possible. Don't discourage at all unless you're sure it's needed and that you are an appropriate one to do it.

• Assume Permanence and ubiquity. Mail posted to discussion lists and sometimes even mail to individuals may be saved permanently, with or without your knowledge, and may be read by anyone, at any time, anywhere. Remember that even if a mail message has been delete, it may exist somewhere on a backup tape.

The Ethics

It's not enough just to observe etiquette. Quarterman also provides some valuable guidelines for e mail ethics.

• Observe copyrights.

• Cite sources.

• Be careful with private correspondence. Do not redistribute private correspondence without permission. Don't read other people's mail without permission. If you receive a message by accident, return it to the sender or forward it to the intended recipient.

• Be honest. Don't distribute false information, and don't pretend to be someone you aren't in order to take unfair advantage of someone else.

• Someone is paying the bills. Remember that what you post may cost others time and money.

• Try to stick to useful information distributed to appropriate people.

• Don't post harmful instructions or information.

• Resource sharing systems are not like anything else. A computer network is neither like a home computer system nor like any other single computer system. The damage that can be caused by mistakes or malevolence increases with the power and extent of the system.

• People depend on networks and conferencing systems.

• Don't leave a security hole unfixed. This applies to system administrators, system vendors, and users who choose obvious passwords.

• Don't use security holes to cause damage.

Some of these points of etiquette or ethics are obvious; others perhaps wouldn't occur to you. By following these guidelines we can make electronic mail a very effective and efficient means of communication. Or we can wax nostalgic for the good "old" days of paper, fountain pens, envelopes, stamps, waiting five days to get a letter....

References:

1. Shapiro, Norman Z. and Robert H. Anderson, "Toward an ethics and etiquette for electronic mail." Rand report number R-3283 (Rand, 1985).

2. Quarterman, John S., The Matrix (Digital Press, 1990): 34.

Comments, Questions? Send them to Philip Baczewski.