In our world today, it’s not just what you speak that can get you into trouble either at work, school or home but also what you write. Since the advent of laptops, Blackberries and cell phones, e-mail has arguably been the primary means of communication especially in the corporate world.

According to a Radicati Group study from May 2009, there are about 1.9 billion e-mail users worldwide. Simply put, more than one in every five persons on the earth use e-mail. The Group projects 2.5 billion e-mail users worldwide in 2014.

Even though e-mail is very easy to use, it can easily be abused. With e-mail, there’s no undoing of mistakes; there’s only steadfast prevention. Below is the inbox of e-mail mistakes and tips on how to avoid them:

UNPROFESSIONAL TONE
When we talk to someone in person, we have the benefit of physical gestures and tone of voice. Written words speak for themselves and are left completely to interpretation. In an e-mail exchange, it means that a sarcastic one-liner and a witty e-mail signature could be misconstrued as insults, regardless of the initial intention.
E-mail tone is also hampered by jokes, slang and typing in caps — which is the written equivalent to shouting. In the office world, e-mail is an extension of business communication, so a bad e-mail tone makes for bad business, or worse, lack of business.

Tips: There’s nothing wrong with being courteous, but stay within professional boundaries. You can do this by reading a past e-mail from your recipient and matching their tone in your reply, instead of trying to invent your own. If they’re talkative and informal, go with it. If not, stay brief and professional. Choose your words thoughtfully, writing as you might talk to them in person without the false safety net of a computer screen. Sticking to the essentials and being polite will keep your tone clean and your overall exchange pleasant.

SUBJECT LINE ERRORS
E-mail subject lines are as important as the messages themselves. The worst subject lines are empty ones. With an average employee in the corporate world receiving over 100 e-mails per day, messages with blank subjects are the last thing to be given attention.
Knowing your subject is as important as building your message. Sometimes e-mail subjects are offline to the mail contents, contain grammatical errors and improper cap usage which many times irritate the recipient.

Tips: Firstly, always use a subject line. With that in mind, don’t use greetings like “Hi Adama” or “Hello Ada” as a subject because they carry no significance to your correspondence. Subject lines are meant to catch the eye of your recipient, so choose keywords that will reflect that. As your e-mail exchange progresses into additional topics, remember to change subject lines accordingly

SENDING MAIL TO THE WRONG PERSON
On the e-mail platform, sending e-mail into the wrong hands is a classic blunder. It’s unprofessional and especially damaging if your message doesn’t carry a professional tone. Imagine bad mouthing a colleague and, due to absent mindedness, you accidentally select him/her as your recipient!
Furthermore, the auto-fill feature, which allow you to type in partial letters in the recipient field, which the e-mail platform then completes on its own increases the chances of e-mailing the wrong .

Tips: To avoid this mistake ensure you type your message first and then select the recipient. This will decrease the chances of error, as you will be totally focused on the address in question. Don’t forget to double-check — or better still multiple-check — the recipient before you click “send.”

BEING TOO HASTY
Messages that are sent too quickly are often accompanied by grammatical errors missing attachments and spelling embarrassments. These aforementioned may lead to creating a negative perception of you and your company. According to a senior friend; “….in a potential job interview situation, a poor e-mail assures a non response”.

Tips: Respect they say is reciprocal. If you want your reader to respect you, you have to respect them by making your writing professional and concise. Ensure your mail is error free by rereading your messages thoroughly and using grammar software. Attachment should be included before you type your message.

TOO MUCH TRUST IN E-MAIL PLATFORMS
E-mail is not the best way to exchange sensitive information. In fact, it’s one of the worst. Modern computer upgrades haven’t been able to stop hackers, which makes your e-mails vulnerable to interception on your side and your recipient’s. If a hacker doesn’t get you, remember that your recipient and their company are free to do as they please with whatever you send them.
More so, many companies, schools and organisations have strict e-mail policies and usually keep all messages on their company server, even if they’re deleted from your system. All of your messages can easily be traced back to your computer’s IP address. E-mails are legal court documents. So where e-mail privacy is concerned, assume there is none.

Tips: Think of your e-mails as public legal documents. If there’s a private matter at stake, it is better to arrange a physical meeting. When e-mail must be used, don’t include financial information and or better still use e-mail encryption software. Be professional without being confidential, and your words won’t come back to haunt you!

GIVING YOUR E-MAIL ACCOUNTS LIMITED ATTENTION
With e-mail being the primary mode of communication, especially in the corporate world, it’s a tactless mistake not to check it regularly. When you don’t check your e-mail, the chances for error is high; in your hurry to access your mail, risk of deleting important messages increases, as well as the tendency not to give attention to essential e-mails.

Tips: Proper time management and day planning is the best way to avoid this mistake. Delegate some time to checking your mail. Stay on top of who’s contacting you and what’s important.

Source: http://talkthetalks.blog.com/2013/06/20/common-e-mail-mistakes-and-how-to-avoid-them/

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