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E-Mail Etiquette

14 posts
  1. Gary Carls
    Gary Carls avatar
    19 posts
    8/15/2013 2:08 PM
    Perhaps I'm just behind the times but I had a question about professional e-mail etiquette that I was wondering about. I know we have many here that are much better versed than I in proper communication etiquette.

    Does anyone else get a bit annoyed by business e-mail responses that don't even include a simple greeting such as good morning, good afternoon or even as simple as your name? Is this just the new way of conducting business or what? Just seems unprofessional to me and even when I want to send a similar non-greeting response back I always find myself going back and adding in a greeting.

    Just wondering if it's just me this bothers or do others think this way as well. Thanks.

    Gary K. Carls, CGCS, President - Oakland Turfgrass Education Initiative

  2. Timothy Walker
    Timothy Walker avatar
    0 posts
    8/15/2013 5:08 PM
    I'm with you Gary however this seems to be the trend of impersonal communications



  3. Keith Lamb
    Keith Lamb avatar
    3 posts
    8/15/2013 6:08 PM
    Also agreed. The other one that I have sent more than one person a warning about is sending out a e-mail to a big group of people and listing everyone's e-mail in the "to:" line and not doing by Bcc: (Blind Carbon Copy). I don't want to see a list of 200 emails and I might not want the other 199 to have my e-mail.



  4. Larry Allan
    Larry Allan avatar
    0 posts
    8/17/2013 6:08 AM
    regards
    best regards
    all the best
    cheers
    etc etc etc

    sign offs seem a little overdone in my opinion

    With all due respect, Red

    I like that one cause it leaves a bit of a question in the receivers mind



  5. Timothy Walker
    Timothy Walker avatar
    0 posts
    8/18/2013 1:08 PM
    Forgot one red - Warm regards wtf does that even mean



  6. Larry Allan
    Larry Allan avatar
    0 posts
    8/19/2013 4:08 AM
    Timothy Walker, CGCS said: Forgot one red - Warm regards wtf does that even mean

    You're right on that. There are so many it's hard to think of them all. Back in the day when we actually wrote letters, Sincerely seemed to be quite adequate and it actually meant something.

    Without wax
    Red



  7. Andy Jorgensen
    Andy Jorgensen avatar
    1 posts
    8/19/2013 6:08 AM
    Gary,

    I caught myself skipping the greeting several times on Friday after reading your post. Had to go back and add one in. Likewise, IMHO, I feel even posts on here should have one. Ironically, none of the posts in the thread did.

    Sincerely,



  8. Gary Carls
    Gary Carls avatar
    19 posts
    8/19/2013 10:08 AM
    Good morning Andy,

    I actually thought about that as I was doing the original post. Two things happen to me.

    1. I think these forums are typically less formal than the business e-mails I was really thinking about when I did the original post.
    2. More importantly in being totally honest, as I get older when I go back to post a reply I often forget the name/nickname of the person I am responding to once I move away from the original message. Did I mention, I'm really bad with names?

    Thanks.

    Gary K. Carls, CGCS, President - Oakland Turfgrass Education Initiative

  9. Andy Jorgensen
    Andy Jorgensen avatar
    1 posts
    8/19/2013 2:08 PM
    Good afternoon Gary,

    I agree with you wholeheartedly. I can't even remember to whom I'm replaying to either half the time, more just really trying to throw information out there. I also agree that these forums are informal, in a sense similar to a text message on a phone. I tend to not provide a greeting there either.

    However, your comment had me really thinking about my email etiquette, and I think it is something we all could improve on. Caught myself doing it again this afternoon!

    Hope all is well,



  10. Canedo Alberto J
    Canedo Alberto J avatar
    8/19/2013 3:08 PM
    Good Afternoon y'all,
    It kinda sucks that emailing is getting that way. What has happened to proffessionalism. I always start out an email or text message with good moring, good afternoon, ect. It is the way I was taught and can not change that.
    Hope Y'all are having a marvelous day. :mrgreen:



  11. Michael Posey
    Michael Posey avatar
    0 posts
    10/6/2013 1:10 AM
    Most of the time the problem is the email is being sent from something besides a computer. I think people overdo their email signatures also. Keep it simple and let them know it is coming from a mobile device, they have enough sense to figure out that will make it more informal, might have grammar or spelling mistakes, etc... I also don't give a crap what type of phone, tablet, service provider, email provider, or operating system you have. Get that crap out of the way too.

    My phone/tablet Signature:

    Mike Posey
    Class A Golf Course Superintendent
    Hoover Country Club
    Cell:
    Sent from a mobile device.



  12. William Brown
    William Brown avatar
    0 posts
    10/17/2013 8:10 AM
    Mike...I agree with you about the mobile devices and this is coming from someone that sends A LOT of emails through mobile devices. Here is what I like to do:
    - My FIRST email to initiate a conversation always opens with a nice greeting. Not only a good morning, afternoon or evening, but I typically see what is happening in the area of the person I am contacting and make reference to some thing.
    - Email closings and signatures are something I struggle with. I am guilty of using Regards, but I do so because I don't believe Sincerely is appropriate to someone I do not know yet. I also only attach my email signature ONCE, which includes my company, name, contact info and social links. They don't need to see that in corresponding emails, so I leave it out.
    - My FIRST email to open communications ALWAYS comes form a laptop or desktop so I avoid the "Sent from mobile device". To me that tells someone, you aren't that important and I am just emailing you between my other important things.
    - Once threads begin to form between myself and the person I am email, my emails become less formal and are just to the point and will be sent from a mobile device. 99% of the time this is also done in return. These corresponding emails are typically just 1-2 sentences and are just short conversations, so IMHO being less formal is ok.

    Thoughts?



  13. Tyler Broderick
    Tyler Broderick avatar
    2 posts
    11/8/2013 10:11 AM
    This is how I typically email:

    hey
    can u tell me when my stuf is gonna get delivrd i need it bad it got paid 4 alreddy, also i need some more stuf to put on my green that isnt doin so good plz call me to talk bout witch stuff will be best and good price
    ttyl
    tyler

    Is that bad?



  14. Melvin Waldron
    Melvin Waldron avatar
    43 posts
    11/8/2013 10:11 AM
    Tyler Broderick said:
    This is how I typically email: hey can u tell me when my stuf is gonna get delivrd i need it bad it got paid 4 alreddy, also i need some more stuf to put on my green that isnt doin so good plz call me to talk bout witch stuff will be best and good price ttyl tyler Is that bad?


    It depends, did your stuff get delivered (or I should say delivrd)?

    Mel

    Melvin H. Waldron III, CGCS, Horton Smith Golf Course, City of Springfield/Greene County MO

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