Readers Respond: What Email Etiquette Hint Do You Wish Others Would Follow?

What irks you most about email etiquette not followed, or followed too much perhaps?

What email etiquette hint do you most wish others would follow? Share Your Pet Peeve

Reply to all CCs

I feel it unacceptable when I send an email to many recipients requesting their personal opinion on a matter, and the response is sent as a reply to all recipients of my email. I then get emails from others asking if they should have done the same, and I end up sending more emails than necessary - I would have been quicker phoning!

—Guest pnisbet

Replies and Addresses on Top

I loathe it when someone replies over the top of the letter I sent them, or I receive something from someone, & there are masses of names & addresses before I see what it is that has been sent. I normally delete!

—Guest Amber Humphreys

Meaning Lost in Abbreviations

[My pet peeve?] Abbreviations cut short so meaning is lost.

—Guest ROBERTO

Acknowledging an email

I find it rude not to reply to an email, one way or another, when the sender is obviously looking for an answer to their question.

—Guest Lee

"Your email could not be delivered..."

My pet peeve is system-generated but I know there was a person on the other end at one time. If I send an email to someone and it cannot be delivered, just tell me only that. I don't need a full page of tech-speak. Even if I understood it, it wouldn't matter, I don't care. All that matters is that it didn't go. Then I need to find out why and resend it. Daemon Mailer is the worst of these. (Ditto to a bunch of the other pet peeves.) And to the people who feel the need to comment on the fact that they think we are all being "petty," these are PET peeves… not "Earth-shaking email errors for which we will send the goon squad to confiscate your computer and spill honey on your keyboard" peeves.

—Guest DreamKeeper

Summary and comments on pet peeves

My 2 cents. I agree with the following * Follow-Up Phone Calls (esp. if shortly after email sent): I hate it when people call or come to my office just to tell me that they sent me an email... * "wallpaper" in the background I cannot stand when you get a work email and cannot read it because the color background is light blue with flowers, and the text is white. So stupid, annoying, etc. * The Line-Item Response: One who replies to your email by inserting his one-line comments in between the lines of the email you sent him… or even more annoying, inserting comments *within* the lines of your email, with no formatting to distinguish the comments * Cc First Responders: when an e-mail is addressed to me and someone in the Cc: field responds (particularly before I do) * HUGE FONT AND/OR ALL CAPS * Entire message in the subject line * Emails without a Subject Adding... personal, philosophical signature lines on business email ...Disagree with these: Insulting

—Guest Tara

If my boss sent me emails like that!

My husband showed me a message his boss had emailed him. Hubby had a job dumped on him. Boss had not even bothered to do the dumping personally, he got a junior member of staff to do. He didn't provide enough info so hubby emailed to ask for clarification. The boss's reply did not have any names on it, his, my husbands, no regards and no thanks for picking up the task at short notice! Think that's a boss who should be sent on a few more training courses!

—Guest Sue

Lazy people using the "Reply" button

[A pet peeve:] Lazy people using the Reply button to send me and email that has nothing to do with the actual subject of the email.

—Guest b1virago

Reply to All

It gets so irritating to receive a message that is not intended for you when people use "Reply to all" instead of using "Reply".

—Guest Belle

Follow-Up Phone Calls

I hate it when people call or come to my office just to tell me that they sent me an email: "Hey, I sent you an email." Come on people, is this really needed?

—Guest JJ

Pesky bosses and coworkers…

…who expect you will read and act on every E-mail instantly. If I did that for everyone I would not get anything done and these are usually the very same people grousing about why isn't something finished yet. If I could focus without so much interruption perhaps I could be more productive. E-mail has really turned into a liability.

—Guest Griselle

Using "wallpaper" in the background

I cannot stand when you get a work email and cannot read it because the color background is light blue with flowers, and the text is white. So stupid, annoying, etc.

—Guest Keep the Background Plain White

Insulting Carbon Copies

One who sends you carbon copies of their emails that are addressed to and intended for others, which don't mention you, or have anything to say to you.

—Guest kidcuv

The Line-Item Response

One who replies to your email by inserting his one-line comments in between the lines of the email you sent him.

—Guest kidcuv

E-Mail pet peeves

Bad enough if someone knows you, but a complete stranger? Had fellow online student commit the aforementioned, critiquing my PowerPoint presentation… he went obnoxiously long, w/large/loud font… asked him if ever considered anger management classes.

—Guest Bold, large font.