Good Netiquette Principals Help Make Sure Your Emails Contain Good Logic

Plato

Good Netiquette is most often characterized with less verbose and more effective word usage. Nevertheless, even the simplest statements, paragraphs, or sentences can and should have not only good basics but also good logic, reasoning, and arguments. Even with perfect grammar, tone, content, and structure, poor logic or fallacies can significantly undermine the intent and content of even the simplest of emails.

        The study of logic dates back to ancient Greece and has always been an integral part of reasoning and providing arguments or theories. There are some basic rules of logic that should always be applied to communication. The following identify some of these and provide some brief examples of how each can be misused:

1.   False dilemma—This argument states that a solution must be one of two choices: Either we support the war, or we are unpatriotic.

2.   Ad hominem—Using a personal part or belief of a person to prove an argument: Because English is not his first language, he cannot write good emails.

3.   Straw man (argumentum ad logicum)—This statement generalizes a viewpoint and then belittles it by extending it beyond its original premise: The president vetoed the oil companies’ exemptions; therefore, he is against large corporations.

4.   Red herring (ad misericordiam)—This attempts to evoke pity to aid in a request: This job should be given to me because I have not worked in two years.

5.   Slippery slope (non sequitur)—This fallacy assumes one action or condition will lead to a different condition: If I am not hired for this position, your customers will buy from someone else.

6.   Repetitive argument (argumentum ad nauseam)—This is an assertion made over and over to try to prove a point: As I have told you in my last three emails, you should give my staff a raise to increase productivity.

7.   Argumentum ad antiquitatum—A statement that asserts something must be right because it has traditionally been done the same way: We have never had email complaints, so there’s no need to add disclaimers.

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In addition to this blog, I maintain a radio show on BlogtalkRadio  and an online newsletter via paper.li.I have established Netiquette discussion groups with Linkedin and  Yahoo.  I am also a member of the International Business Etiquette and Protocol Group and Minding Manners among others. I regularly consult for the Gerson Lehrman Group, a worldwide network of subject matter experts and I have been contributing to the blogs Everything Email and emailmonday . My work has appeared in numerous publications and I have presented to groups such as The Breakfast Club of NJ and  PSG of Mercer County, NJ.

I am the president of Tabula Rosa Systems, a “best of breed” reseller of products for communications, email, network management software, security products and professional services.  Also, I am the president of Netiquette IQ. We are currently developing an email IQ rating system, Netiquette IQ, which promotes the fundamentals outlined in my book.

Over the past twenty-five years, I have enjoyed a dynamic and successful career and have attained an extensive background in IT and electronic communications by selling and marketing within the information technology marketplace.Anyone who would like to review the book and have it posted on my blog or website, please contact me paul@netiquetteiq.com.

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