Emoticons and Email Etiquette :-)

WITH the advent of the internet, e-mails or electronic mails have become the chosen mode of communication when it comes to our modern day correspondence. According to Wisegeek.com (2009), e-mail is simply a protocol for receiving, sending and storing electronic messages.

Ray Tomlinson is regarded as the father of the modern version of email when he devised a way to address email to certain users and thus was credited for one of the most important communication inventions in the 20th century (Wisegeek.com, 2009).

Some of the well-known email service providers. (Source: Google images)

Considering the fact that e-mailing is such a prominent communication activity, it is no surprise that some experts are very much concerned with the issue of e-mail etiquette. One cannot deny the importance of educating users about the Dos and the Don’ts of emailing, especially those in the corporate world.

In a show transcript by ABC.net (2007), Funnel (the host of the show) had invited a few experts to discuss about e-mail etiquette and the use of emoticons. Some of the tips provided by them are like checking mistakes so as to not end up triggering the misinterpretation of an e-mail by the receiver. Emailreplies.com (2008) also stresses the importance of checking e-mail for improper spelling, grammar and punctuation give as it is important for conveying the message properly. E-mails with no full stops or commas are difficult to read and can sometimes even change the meaning of the text.

They also mentioned about being clear and to not send vague e-mails that might just turn this convenient way of communicating into an arduous task. Egan (2004) agrees by saying that messages should be concise and straight to the point. On top of that, in some context, e-mail should only be treated as a secondary or supplementary device. For example, when sending out condolences, thank you notes and any other instances when a certain code of conduct or formality is required. This is coherent to Rothman (2005) view on technical writing in document as technical writing serves a specific purpose and any attempt to alter this style of writing will risk the lost vital information.

According to ABC.net (2007), Scott Fahlman invented the emoticons as a visual aid to give electronic document readers emotional cues in ensuring the effectiveness of information dissemination. This trend is now adopted all around the world and emoticons have evolved into more complex symbols than what it used to be.

The evolution of the emoticon. (Source: Leonard Leao)

References

ABC.net 2007, Media Report, viewed on 9th June 2009, < http://www.abc.net.au/rn/mediareport/stories/2007/2064342.htm>.

Egan, M 2004, Email etiquette, Cool Publications Ltd, UK.

Emailreplies.com 2008, Email etiquette rules for effective email replies, viewed on 9th June 2009, < http://www.emailreplies.com/>.

Rothman, S 2005, What makes good scientific and technical writing?, Associated Content, viewed 24 April 2009, <http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/9447/error>.

Wisegeek.com 2009, What is email?, viewed on 9th June 2009, < http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-email.htm>.