by Arun Sinha

Does e-mail take the place of a letter, a phone call, or both? Most likely, your e-mail will start out as a letter (or memo), and after two or three exchanges between you and the recipient, will resemble a phone conversation.

No matter how you characterize e-mail, the rules of good communication still apply to it. Following them will make it easier for people to understand and respond to you.

• Your subject line should be specific. The recipient wants to know, “Is it going to be worth my time to open this e mail?” A vague subject line, such as “Read this” or “Good software cheap,” doesn’t motivate action. Targeted, specific subject lines, such as “Employee survey, response due 6/18” or “2005 Budget attached,” will get you a better response.

People often use their inboxes as filing systems to store e-mails. A memorable subject line will help the recipient find your email even when it is buried several screens deep.

• Follow the rules of good communication. Write with the audience’s interests in mind. Organize your thoughts so that your writing is clear and follows a logical structure. Have a goal, and make sure your message leads the recipient toward that goal.

Begin with a salutation (“Hello Jacob,” “Dear Jacob,” or simply “Jacob”) and end with a closing (“Sincerely,” “Regards,” or “Best wishes”), followed by your name and signature. Most e-mails go back and forth between sender and recipient a few times. After the first round of replies the exchange may become informal and you may want to dispense with the salutation and closing. But leaving them in never hurts.

• Be careful with content. Keep it factual and professional. Avoid editorial comments and humor, or you may come across as sarcastic and self-important. It’s easy to be misunderstood in e-mail.

Always assume your e-mail will be forwarded by the recipient. Write accordingly. Be clear, be positive, and don’t complain about people. Make the e-mail reflect well on you.

E-mail often takes on the immediacy and informality of a phone or face-to-face conversation. However, it lacks some of the critical components of such conversations.

When speaking, we give each other verbal and non-verbal cues that show our interest and understanding — cues that are absent in e-mail. An e-mail message thus lacks a built-in feedback loop. Replying promptly to messages, even if it’s with a short “Thanks” or “OK,” closes the loop.

• Think before you send. Before dashing off a hurriedly composed e-mail, read it aloud on the screen. What effect will your content and tone have on the recipient? A good rule to follow is: write only what you’re willing to say in a live conversation.

Inadvertently clicking the “Send” icon has caused much pain throughout the short history of e-mail. Move the icon to the far end of your toolbar, away from other frequently used icons. You’ll be less likely to click it by mistake.

• Mind your professional image. Choose a Sender ID that will stand out in the sea of messages in the recipient’s inbox. Avoid IDs that show AOL, Earthlink, or similar domains as part of your e-mail address. Instead, register your own corporate domain with a hosting company. Then you can create custom IDs such as “sales@yourcompany.com” or “customer.service@yourcompany.com.”