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   | |N | | | |Y | O |PINION : MY VIEW ON COMPUTERS AND THE FUTURE
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                       The Wonderful World of Email
                                                                Gregory Lam
                                                                 July, 1996
                                                                 IMO796.TXT

	Side Note:  In the past few days, I have been working on my home
pages. This is also the reason why this column is so short. As a initial
reaction, IMHO, I find HTML is a lot more limiting and difficult to
use than people would lead you to believe, especially if you plan to do
some very complicated page layouts.  However, the number one priority for
every website designer must still be webpage content and appearance; in
designing a webpage one should concentrate more on desktop publishing than
programming skills.  This project was made doubly difficult because I did
not have access to a WYSIWYG browser. Hopefully, I have been able to convey
that with HoTaMaLe!, my little homepage project.

				    * * *

	E-MAIL IS DEFINITELY A FASCINATING TOOL.  Being the staple of the
Internet and other electronic networks, electronic mail is lightning fast
and virtually free; a message sent across the globe can take only a matter
of half a minute and cost less than a nickel.  It is no wonder that the
traditional stamp-and-paper postal service has earned it a nickname among
online users: "snail mail". However, its versatility makes it an easy target
for abuse.   Often people, under the guise of his/her computer, breach the
rules of etiquette when sending email.  To prevent this, there are several
principles that users should follow.

	The formality level of E-mail is approximately between that of a
telephone call and a letter.  In other words, it is a fairly relaxed medium to
converse in.  However, it is more structured than a phone call due to the fact
it is being typed out.  Therefore, while contractions and slang is reasonable,
e-mail must still maintain a certain amount of information and prose.

	Other deadly sins some e-mail users perpetuate are bad spelling and
grammar.  Some users even leave the CapsLock key on and type all in capitals;
others type all in lowercase letters or leave out punctuation.  All these
foibles make a message, at worst, unreadable and, at best, annoying to the
intended audience.  While a certain amount can be tolerated due to the
informality of the medium, it is inexcusable to at least proofread a message
once before sending it out.  This is especially important when it comes to
sending addresses, numerical statistics and other vital information which
relies on proper spelling.  To write anything means to be one's personal
editor, and one should ensure nothing should see print until it is edited.

E-Mail, due to its casual nature as well as the lack of facial or visual
cues, can be misinterpreted.  The mail recipient may misunderstand directions
or instructions, or view a seemingly harmless joke as a personal insult.  There
are many ways to combat this.  Keep messages specific and concise.  Many people
will also embellish their documents with ASCII emoticons such as smilies (ie.
:-) ) and/or tags (ie. <grin>) to simulate the missing facial cues. The
same goes for messages which one has received.  One should be read a message
carefully, making sure one has taken all incoming data into account and has
answered any inquiries.  When in doubt, follow the golden rule: BE NICE.  Peter
de Jager offers similar advice.  "What you think they meant is likely not what
they actually meant to write, and if someone misreads what you wrote, it's
likely because you miswrote what you meant."

	Finally, one should know when to use e-mail.  E-mail is a near necessity
when communicating to several people abroad, but is less so when communicating
to a colleague several office cubicles down.  E-mail can never replace a good
old fashioned face-to-face, or even a telephone call.  In fact, often electronic
penpals plan get-togethers "IRL" (in real life) because of this.  Another form
of common abuse is excessive email use.  Simply because it is fast and free,
people often justify mass mailings on petty topics.  Once, in an office I worked
at, someone emailed three messages in five hours on the selling of Blue Jays
tickets.  A rule of thumb is to mail a message only if you have something
important to say.

	With a little common sense, alertness and tolerance, anyone can make
email work for them.  It is simply a matter of understanding the etiquette of
the medium. [imo]

                                    * * *

				Bibliography
	Martin, Judith.  "Etiquette for the Electronic Age." PC/Computing
	Magazine. March, 1990.

	de Jager, Peter. "The Perils of E-Mail." Delcan News. Spring, 1996.
(Incidentally, this article appeared in a column uncannily called "In My
Opinion", which actually predates my IMO column for several months.)

(C)opyright Gregory Lam, All rights reserved.  You are allowed to copy this
document sans charge on the condition none of it is altered or used without
proper bibliographical references.
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