Page 100 - Duct Tape Marketing

84 Part II: Sharpening Your Marketing Focus

end with periods are good. Strings of five exclamation marks are not.
When in doubt, revert to what you learned in English 101.

ߜ Keep “emoticons” out of business correspondence. Also called “smi-
lies,” they don’t all convey happiness. You’ll encounter emoticons con-
veying a smile :-), a frown :-( , or even a grin :-D. They’re crudely capable
of showing what you mean, but in most cases they are as appropriate in
the business environment as a swimsuit.

ߜ Limit abbreviations to those in common use. E-mail is peppered with
terms such as LOL (laughing out loud), BTW (by the way), and IMHO (in
my humble opinion). Stick to widely understood abbreviations like ASAP,
FYI, or OK, and leave ones like TNSTAAFL (there’s no such thing as a free
lunch) on the cutting room floor.

ߜ Stick to the basics as you format e-mail. Avoid using stationery, colored
background, or unusual type styles.

ߜ Use uppercase and lowercase. Typing in all uppercase — using all capi-
tal letters — means one thing in cyberspace: You’re screaming.

The ten commandments of e-mail

E-mailers have established some do’s and ߜ Thou shalt not use e-mail for any illegal or
don’ts. The following list of ten has circled unethical purpose.
cyberspace numerous times:
ߜ Thou shalt not rely on the privacy of e-mail,
ߜ Thou shalt include a clear and specific sub- especially from work.
ject line.
ߜ And the Golden Rule of e-mail: Thou shalt
ߜ Thou shalt edit any quoted text down to the not send unto others that which thou find-
minimum thou needest. est hateful to receive.

ߜ Thou shalt read thine own message thrice Two terms in these commandments may need an
before thou sendest it. explanation: To flame is to “fight fire with fire” by
sending hostile replies to those who annoy
ߜ Thou shalt ponder how thy recipient might others online. More often than not a flame
react to thy message. inspires a flame, starting a flame war that bene-
fits no one. And spam is unsolicited commercial
ߜ Thou shalt check thy spelling and thy gram- junk mail sent via e-mail. (See Chapter 13.)
mar and not rely on spellcheck alone.
As you adopt the commandments, add one
ߜ Thou shalt not curse, flame, spam, or USE more. Follow the standard advice about what to
ALL CAPS. do with a message written in anger: Save it
overnight and reread it in the cool light of dawn.
ߜ Thou shalt not forward any chain letter.