Here are some helpful tips on email etiquette and the dos and don'ts of using "FLC-Everyone on Exchange":
Sending Emails
- Necessity - Is it really necessary to send the email at all? Would a phone call or personal visit/meeting be more effective, especially if internal? (ex. If you are wanting to promote an event, it would be best to submit an event promotion request through PISO's Marketing & Web Support Request Form so it could be advertised through official channels of communication.)
- Copying in - Is it necessary to copy so many people in? Emails should be sent on a need-to-know basis. Please use distribution lists carefully (ex. Would it be more appropriate to use “FLC-Everyone on Exchange” or “FLC-Faculty”?).
- Subject - This should contain a concise and indicative summary of the email – do not leave blank or put a general or ambiguous subject (ex. “question” or “hello”).
- Action - If there are actions required, they should be very clearly noted, including what is to be done, by whom, and by when.
Replying to Emails
- Replying - Only reply if necessity or courtesy requires it – and don’t “Reply to All” unless you really mean to! Please Note: Do not “Reply to All” when responding to a message sent to “FLC-Everyone on Exchange.”
- Forwarding - When forwarding an email, say why you are forwarding it; leaving the recipient to guess is more likely to spark an email dialogue.
Receiving Emails
- Display - Incoming emails can be displayed in a number of ways. The most common is in date order, but it can be changed to “From”, “Importance” or even “Size”.
- Rules - To reduce the number of emails in your main Inbox, it is possible to set up Rules to direct emails straight into folders. This can be based on the identity of the sender or on the subject and content of the email.
- Unsubscribe - One simple way of reducing incoming mail is to unsubscribe to some of the mailing lists your name has become attached to, especially if you never look at the contents anyway. Please Note: You cannot unsubscribe from Los Rios set distribution lists like “FLC-Everyone on Exchange”.
Deleting Emails
- Delete them! - Deleting emails is the preferred option, on grounds of storage and data protection. This does not mean, though, that you should delete emails which you genuinely need to keep (see Storing below).
- Delete them all! - Don’t forget to delete emails in your Inbox, Sent Items, Drafts, and then Deleted Items (Note: All information viewable in Outlook counts as part of your personal Mailbox].
- How to delete them - Regularly deleting unwanted emails will improve the performance of your Mailbox.
Storing Emails
- Folders - It is sensible to set up a Folder system in your Inbox, using subjects, people, etc. as headings. Rules can then be linked to these Folders (see Receiving above). Please Note: Personal folders will not be available from home or mobile devices.
- Archiving - It is helpful for emails over a certain age (six months is sensible) are Archived to your H: Drive. This removes the emails from your personal Mailbox and from the Mail Server.