Times to send emails within Netiquette guidelines

One major area email has changed communicatios is providing instant delivery. This necessitates giving consideration to when an email is sent. Today's blog begins a series of good Netiquette practices for sending/replying times and possible effects.

This blog also has the answer to the last blog's quiz and a new quiz following the topic below.

"I don't believe in email.  I'm an old fashioned girl.  I prefer calling and hanging up."

                                                                                          - Sarah Jessica Parker

Times to send (or not)
       Netiquettes roots are in Etiquette, social rules and practices which find their origins in the most ancient societies. Because email is 24 x 7 the aspect of interval and timing can easily be compromised. Traditional correspondences were always limited by time for the services to deliver letters/calls/telegrams.  The baby boomers generation was trained, in most households, to refrain from phone calls after certain evening hours and before certain morning hours.  Letters, no matter when they were written would arrive at the recipient's mailbox when the normal mail delivery completed its journey's cycle.

         Because of emails capabilities to instantly deliver on a 24 x 7 basis, someone can receive an email at 11:00pm, 2:00am or whenever the sender releases it.  If the addressee receives email on a PDA or cell phone there is a good possibility the device may be active and a notification sound may awaken the person.  Additionally, if the addressee is a manager or executive, the perception of someone emailing at 2:00 A.M. may be negative.  Contrast this to someone sending at 6:00 P.M.  This carries a far more positive impression, i.e., an early riser. So write away at anytime but send emails at reasonable times, preferably early morning.

         Another benefit of sending at optimal times is that emails which reach the destination inbox when the addressee is on-line have a far better likelihood of

1.   Being read

2.   Being read right away

3.   Receiving a rapid reply.

Weekends and Holidays

        More and more people access email do business or work on weekends and holidays.  Does this practice have any effect upon those receiving emails?  For personal correspondence clearly there would rarely be a negative impact.  These intervals may present the only times one might have to catch up on non-professional, family, or  social activities.  However, just as in sending professional emails at late hours may be bad Netiquette, doing so on holidays may have negative results.  Many professionals have mechanisms which notify them when messages are received during non working hours or utilize a forwarding technology which alerts them.

        It is best Netiquette to apply the same discretion when sending on weekends.  It is  very important not to utilize urgent flags or requests during these times as well, unless there is due cause.  To have someone feel they need to respond to a message during their off hours and to later find out is wasn't necessary, can prove unfortunate.

 

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Quiz

Question: Which country generates the most spam? Russia, China, Brazil, United States, or Germany? Take a guess of the percentage of world wide spam each of these contribute as well.

Answer: China is the leading generator of Spam (10%) followed by Brazil (9%), USA (7.3%), Germany (6.5%) and Russia (6%).

Today's quiz: Which head of state sent the first email? Guess which year as well.

1. Queen Elizabeth

2. Ronald Regan

3. Fidel Castro

4. Mikhail Gorbachev

5. Sadam Hussein

The answer will appear in the next blog.