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Monday, April 23, 2007

9. Obscure references to long-dead usage-guide authors

8 DEADLY SINS OF E-MAIL
  1. The e-mail that's unbelievably vague. "Where's Bill?"

  2. The e-mail that insults you so badly, you have to get up from your desk. "From what planet do you reside?"

  3. E-mails that encourage cowardice. It is never OK to fire someone or break off a relationship this way.

  4. The e-mail that puts you in jail. (The Justice Department has plenty of examples.)

  5. The e-mail that won't go away. "Thanks!" "Thank you!" "Tnx!"

  6. Sarcastic e-mails. They are asking to be misunderstood.

  7. E-mails to high-ranking people that are too casual. "Hiya!"

  8. Inappropriate e-mail: anything racist, sexist, pornographic, homophobic or insensitive.
From Send: The Essential Guide to Email for Office and Home by David Shipley and Will Schwalbe
The authors are, respectively, the Op-Ed editor of the New York Times and the editor-in-chief of Hyperion books. Despite some evidence to the contrary, I think English is the first language of each.

H.W. Fowler's corpse was unable to finish reading the list because of the violent spinning induced by #2.


posted at 11:03 PM

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