On the glories of email

So, I'm a big fan of email. I've never been one to talk on the phone much, except to convey necessary information. If its too long or complicated for a text, I'll call, but usually prefer to just leave a message.

I think this has a lot to do with the fact that if your brain checks out when you're on the phone, there's really no way to cover your bum. Just an awkward silence in the airwaves. And when there's not a physical person present when you're communicating, this seems to happen a lot. Someone should research that.

And unless I have a specific business-type reason to call (I can be very professional if I have a clear reason and goal, I promise) this phenomena usually happens. It makes my voice mails a positive treat.

"Hi, its Anna, so I'm making dinner and... its going to be really good, because it smells great in here. But yeahhhhhh, I'm not actually calling you about that *insert the silence of a mental flatline here.* Oh, sorry, I just spaced out a little. Ignore it. Yeah, hmm, oh! I just wanted to tell you I saw a commercial for a T.V show featuring Jim Caviezel, and it reminded me of that Andy Samberg song you like so much, and whenever you listen to it I yell out 'Jim Caviezel.' Oh, this is Anna, I may not have said that. Anyway, that's what I had to tell you, so bye!"

*Note, this is a fictional, but not exaggerated account. Witnesses can be brought forth on request. Also, the song in which I am referring to is "Iran" by Andy Samberg and Adam Levine from Maroon 5, from Saturday Night Live.

And now that my post has completely gone off-topic, I believe my point has been proven. You can't go off topic with email -- or if you do, you can edit. So, I'm going to share some tips to make email much more effective than my telephone skills.

I dealt with a lot of emails in my college career, and as section editor at my Alma Mater's paper, I dealt with everything from communications with writers, press releases, and the occasional hounding someone about deadlines. It was interesting, being the boss, and it means I can share some pet peeves bosses have.

-- Please identify yourself. I don't know who ponydancer5643 is, sorry. Most emails let you set up signatures that contain contact info, which will automatically be included at the end of emails. I had several, one for dealing with newspaper business, one I'd use when talking to my tutees (ie. the people I tutored), and one for emailing my student org. This allows you to give out exactly how much contact information each group needs (for example, my tutees didn't need to know where my office was in the newspaper, and so on).

-- Please spell-check. Especially if you are in the English business. Even if you are not, most emails have built in spell-checkers, so there is no excuse for misspellings. If the email is of a professional nature, have someone else read it (even if you do know your grammar). The second opinion will help make your correspondence polished. Also, make sure you check the email and the subject line. The subject line could be the only thing your recipient reads, so make it correct and accurate -- then they may read the rest of the email.

--If you are contacting someone to ask a favor (like that they consider publishing a press release), make it easy for them. Get right to the point, include files that may help the person in attachments (instead of going on and on in the body of the email), and make it easy and quick to read. Also, make sure you are contacting the right person. I still get press releases, and I haven't been an editor for about six months.

-- Make email concise. This kind of ties into the making things easy for your recipient. Start with a brief introduction of yourself (if you don't know the person), then a one-sentence summary of your subject (which should also be clearly stated in the subject line). This should be the first paragraph. Then go on to put a little more detail behind your subject, and close with a paragraph giving your contact info and a polite "please contact me with any questions." Making yourself and your contact info available also makes things easier for recipients. People really appreciate when you make things easy for them.

-- Please communicate! This may be the biggest one. The most frustrating thing I have faced in email is its lack. If you use email for your job, check it often. Make it the first thing you do when you open your computer. Bosses get anxious when they don't hear from you, especially if there is a deadline involved.  Yes, you may have to admit you're running behind, but most people understand human nature, and can accommodate. But if something is just not there, it's a lot of stress for a lot of people other than yourself.

I hope this was helpful!

Gold star to anyone who already has a professional email account (i.e. not ponydancer5643)