Writing an email

Proper email is a balance between politeness and succinctness. Less than five sentences is often abrupt and rude, more than five sentences wastes time, Guy Kawasaki.

Communication is the flow or exchange of information within people or a group of people. It requires a message (what is communicated), a sender (by whom), a recipient (to whom), a channel (through which medium) and a code (in which form). It is very important to adapt your message and communication style to the medium or channel and the receiver. For example, a personal face-to-face conversation with a friend is not the same as writing an email to your boss. It is a completely different beast.

An email is a form of written communication, a method to send messages between computers through the Internet. Email services are not safe, they are completely insecure. Do not send sensitive data or private information in an email, whether written in the body or as an attachment. Best options are Proton Mail (a free ProtonMail account supports 500 MB of email storage), Tutanota, Mailfence (a free Mailfence account provides 500 MB), Posteo, and mailbox.org.

When writing an email consider these ideas:

1. Try to avoid misspellings, punctuation errors, poor style, and grammatical errors by using spell and grammar checkers (Grammarly, Ginger, ProWritingAid, and Hemingway).
2. You should always include the subject (it states the purpose of the email) and a signature.
3. Emails should be formatted with a greeting, e.g., Dear [Name], Hi [First Name], Hello Mr./Ms./Mrs. [Last Name], To whom it may concern); body message, and a closing signature.
4. Signatures are important and necessary. They provide contact information and they could be part of your branding and marketing strategies. Signatures include name, title, and contact information. You can also add your photo and social media contact information. Every email service provider lets you set a signature which is automatically added to all your emails. Besides, you can use services like WiseStamp, a free email signature generator that integrates with your email client. It helps you compose and easily design cool e-mail signatures.
5. Be aware that typing in capital letters is still seen as shouting. It is a big breach of internet etiquette.
6. Emails should be short, simple, and to the point. An email is not an article, post, or essay, don’t waste your reader’s time. An email is a KISS ― Keep it simple stupid!

   Cut your message to the bone. Drop every unnecessary word and do not repeat yourself. Use short sentences, simple language, and avoid jargon. Don’t pack too many words and phrases into a single paragraph.

7. However, emails are not tweets, text or SMS messages either. You should avoid abbreviations (IDK, I don’t know; IMO, In my opinion; BTW, By the way), acronyms, slang or emoticons (":)" smile, “:(” frown, “;)” wink).
8. Save important emails in which decisions are made, that show why a decision was made, formal requests or complaints, etc.
9. Security: Don’t click sketchy links, don’t download or open suspicious attachments, avoid public WiFi networks, use secure passwords and two-factor authentication, encrypt your emails, make sure your computer is up-to-date and protected with anti malware software.
10. When you are done writing the email, review it and make sure it can’t be misunderstood, at least try to avoid misunderstandings because your receiver doesn’t have the benefit of seeing your facial expression and body language or hearing your voice.

Emails are a very efficient means of communication. They allow us to keep in touch, express our thoughts at any time, and solve many problems quickly. More often than not, when we call someone about a specific issue, we end up talking and rambling about something else (children, health, sports, etc.) that has nothing to do with the original topic. Besides, email allows us to store and share information, as well as send files as email attachments. You many need to use services like WeTransfer for big files (it allows you to send up to 2GB for free). It is the simplest way to send your files around the world.

Interpersonal face to face communication is healthy and essential for meaningful relationships. It is also sometimes easier and even more effective to explain things in person. Therefore, depending on the issue, the time available, and the context, the need for productivity at a given time, the receiver, etc. we should choose the means of communication that fits us best.