You’ve probably gotten a few emails in your time marked “Urgent!” or “Please Read!” Intrigued by what the message is about, you choose to open the email your friend sent to you. After you scroll through two or three pages of email addresses from folks you don’t know, who have forwarded it to dozens of other strangers, you finally get to the actual message – only to find the message is a hoax or something you’ve seen a half-dozen times before. Don’t do this to your friends and family!
There are some basic rules of etiquette to follow when forwarding email. By following these simple rules you won't risk having your emails deleted without being read, and you'll be a whole lot less likely to tick off your friends.
Before you click the send button to forward that funny joke, or the plea to help find the missing girl, or the petition to adopt the puppies, and certainly before you start deleting files the email warns you about from your computer, take a moment and ask yourself the following:
First - Is It Real? Many of the calls to action you get via e-mail are simply hoaxes. These usually cite seemingly impeccable sources, yet are vague on details. These messages will ask you to forward them to “everyone you know” or some similar wording. If the message sounds iffy, check these Web sites:
Snopes Rumor Has It
Symantec Hoax Page
Scam Busters
Any of these sites can be used to check the current scams being circulated. They also allow you search for key words so you confirm that your email is truthful before you hit that forward key.
If the e-mail still seems legitimate and you want to forward it, read on.
Remove The Names Of Everyone Who Has Forwarded or Received This Email Before You! Nothing is worse than forcing the recipient to scroll through page after page of names and e-mail addresses of people they don’t know. Not only that, it’s simply rude to send the names and/or e-mail addresses of others without their permission. Instead, once you have clicked “Forward” simply left-click and drag to highlight all those names and addresses and press the delete button. Now you are only sending the message that you feel is important or interesting.
Hide Your Distribution List! Your friends will appreciate it if you hide their names from the people you forward the message to. And they will appreciate it if you don’t have a lengthy list of names they have to scroll through before reading what you sent them. This is very easy to do. Most e-mail programs allow you to create distribution lists (check your e-mail program’s “Help” file to find out how). Once you have created a distribution list, you send the mail to yourself with a Blind Copy (BCC) to your distribution list (again, if you don’t know how to use this feature, consult the “Help” file for your e-mail program).
Get an OK to Use the Address You Have! Employers are starting to crack down on personal employees who receive personal email at work. Employees can even be fired for receiving mails with questionable content. And don't just assume it's OK to send messages to a personal address. Many people share their email accounts with the whole family. Recy material could cause some embarrassment for everyone.
Bottom Line: Be judicious when it comes to forwarding e-mail. If it’s been forwarded many times before it gets to you, chances are good that most of the people you are sending it to have already seen it – or soon will. Be selective when it comes to choosing the recipients. Some people get more of these e-mails than others. Some people don’t want to get this kind of e-mail at work; others don’t want to get them at all. (A good rule of thumb - if you wouldn't send it to your grandmother, don't send it to anyone witout checking first). So if you are in doubt about forwarding that e-mail, don’t do it.
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