Requesting a return receipt on an email

Recently, a colleague of mine had an important email to send out and he mentioned he was going to put a return receipt request with it. I took special note of this, because it was not a feature I had used in a number of years. Additionally, I had only briefly referenced it in my newly published book (see below). So, to make up for that lack of depth, I decided to address it in this blog. Many find the request for a return receipt annoying, an infringement or unnecessary. But in thinking through the process, I found that there are justifications for making such a request.

Perhaps the most obvious reasons for a request is that a message is of importance, time sensitive or there is reason to believe that email services are having problems.

In order to mollify those who view a return receipt massage as unfriendly, the following disclaimer might be presented:

"This message contains confidential information or critical information. A return receipt answer is requested to insure you have received this email. If you are not the named addressee, you should not disseminate, distribute, or copy this email. Please notify the sender immediately by email if you have received this email by mistake, and delete this email from your system. Email transmission cannot be guaranteed to be secure or error-free, as information could be intercepted, corrupted, lost, destroyed, arrive late, incomplete, or contain viruses. The sender, therefore, does not accept liability for any errors or omissions in the contents of this message that arises as a result of email transmission. If verification is required, please request a hard-copy version."

Given the nature of this disclaimer, most recipients should see the value of the process. Note that this disclaimer should not be used on every message in terms of the receipt request. Other parts of the text can pertain to any message.

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Great news and an announcement! My book, NetiquetteIQ - A Comprehensive Guide to Improve, Enhance and Add Power to Your Email has gone on sale at the CreateSpace estore:http://createspace.com/4083121

As a NetiquetteIQ blog reader, you can use the discount code KBQALZA7. This discount is only through the estore. Thank you for your support on the blog and with the book. The book and Kindle version will soon be available on Amazon.

More good news!

The Kindle version of my book is now available! Go to the following site to purchase it:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00FFAMN0U

#PaulBabicki #netiquette

Anyone who would like to review the book and have it posted on my blog or website, please contact me paul@netiquetteiq.com

Please visit our website http://netiquetteiq.com