Sherrine Tan
Mail Product Manager, Yahoo! Southeast Asia

As more emails are sent and received each day, it’s no surprise we all have our own email pet peeves.

Here are our top five:

1. Frequent use of ‘text speak’ such as LOL and BTW
2. Generic emails sent to 5 or more people
3. Use of ‘shouting’ CAPITAL letters
4. No subject line
5. Read receipts

The Yahoo! Southeast Asia Mail team has also put together some simple tips to help you get the most out of emails:

Do… create the right impression and banish the LOLs. People react to emails within seconds of receiving it. Text speak can be very annoying and reflects person’s laziness and poor spelling abilities. It won’t impress!

Don’t… offend. Using capital letters in an email is equivalent to shouting and is perceived to be extremely rude, so make sure your caps lock is switched off.

Do… include a subject line. You’ve got three seconds to grab attention when an email appears, so if you don’t have a subject line, the odds of it being read drops.

Don’t… use read receipts. Read receipts demonstrate a distinct lack of trust. Instead, do a follow up through a phone call if you want to make sure your message reached the right person.

Do… keep the recipient in mind. Address the recipient in the correct manner and title. You can be light-hearted and humorous, but if you don’t know the recipient, don’t sound overly familiar sign off with the right degree of formality. Use your better judgment.

Don’t… use CC and BCC unnecessarily. Exercise restraint when deciding to copy-furnish people in an email. It only makes good sense. If it is important, forward the final email containing the summary instead of spamming them with a seemingly-unending email trail. Likewise, use the BCC button wisely by forwarding emails separately instead of hiding other recipients.

Do… take your time. Because of the instant nature of emails, it is tempting to deal with them immediately. But rushing an email can lead to errors. Deal with emails promptly but always take some time to check what you have written before you hit ‘send.’

Don’t… over use importance. Before you even consider using a red exclamation mark, ask yourself if the email really is important. Only use it when it is vital that the email is read.

Do… save the kisses. Over familiarity towards your boss or work colleagues is bad etiquette. Keep the ‘love and kisses’ for very good friends.

Don’t… email when you’re angry. If you receive a harsh email, read it through, then close it and walk away. Consider your response, and if necessary ask someone else to read your reply before you send it. Don’t fight fire with fire.

Do… choose a sensible email address. Common sense tells you that you are less likely to land a job if you use a frivolous email address like ‘crazychick@yahoo.com.sg.’ Your email address can be a reflection of your personality, so think about what your email address says about you.

Don’t… hide behind email. It is often easier to write something than to say it out loud, but remember not to say anything on email you wouldn’t tell someone in person. Emails have longevity and it can always be used against you.

Happy emailing.