15. Don't open attachments or click links you aren't expecting
The number one way to get malware: Trust that an attachment sent to you is what the message claims. Even if it does look okay, it could be dangerous, since malware likes to play pretend. If anything looks even remotely incorrect, contact the "sender" first to be sure you know who actually sent it.
Likewise, phishing scams that send you to Web pages you should not visit often look legit. That's the whole point of them, after all. You have to think very carefully when you get a message from a bank, or PayPal, or any number of services. First, do you have an account there? Second, does the message actually refer to something you could have done? (Example: eBay phishers will tell you there's a problem with your auction—but do you have an auction running?)
16. Trim excess in replies
When you reply to a message, usually the original is appended below what you said. That way the recipient(s) can refer back to what was sent originally. While handy, this can be a pain when you're searching through e-mails later (your query will yield multiple hits because the same words are in so many messages). Worse, eventually a long conversation will have a thread that goes on for pages and pages.
At some point, take the time to cut some of the messages below. Better yet, just copy the most relevant part and paste it in above what you're typing. Use >>> in front of that section to indicate that it's from a previous message. Your succinctness will be appreciated.
17. NO ALL CAPS
This might be the oldest bit of netiquette around, but it's still important to point out to total newbies who shun the Shift key in favor of Caps Lock: TYPING IN ALL CAPITAL LETTERS IS THE INTERNET EQUIVALENT OF SHOUTING.
If you truly can't handle mixed case, then go all lowercase. We'll call that a "style choice."
18. Know your audience
Multiple personalities are part of communication. You don't talk to your parents the same way you talk to your best friend, right? Don't believe you can write an e-mail the same way you talk, or text. Its 1 thng 2 typ ungrmmtclly whn thrs a 140-160 chrctr lmt. Let alone without vowels. It's quite another when you have all the space you need. It helps to look smart when making a point.
19. Don't e-mail angry
There are many things not to do when angry. Drink. Drive. Call your significant other, or your significant other's parents. Sending textual communication of any sort when peeved is also a big no-no.
There's always a chance that a missive from the boss, human resources, coworkers, or even family members can rub you the wrong way, if not cause outright rage. Do more than count to ten: Remember that not everyone is a nuanced writer, and for some people terse and to-the-point is the only way they can be. Your feelings don't enter into it—and they're not being malicious. Consider the source. Take a few hours or even a day to reply. If time is of the essence, call or visit them in person instead. Face to face, what could be an ugly confrontation may be quickly diffused.
Sending angry messages of complaint can be useful, but be constructive. We're no strangers here at PCMag to being told we're dunces, but we always pay more attention when the writer can articulate where we went wrong, rather than just calling us shills for Microsoft (or Apple or HP or Sony, depending on the story).
20. Recall/Undo a sent message
Sometimes you send an e-mail and see a typo just a moment too late. Or notice that you did a Reply All and didn't mean to (we warned you). Pushing a button to cancel sending is not usually an option outside of corporate e-mail systems. But you can work around that.
Gmail Labs, for example, now offers Undo Send. If you click that Undo link a few seconds after sending, the message won't go out. But be warned: You get only 5 seconds.
Microsoft Outlook can be set up to mimic this undo function as well, using a rule that defers sending by seconds or minutes. That way you have time to realize the mistake and go fix it first. You can set up the rule by going to Tools, then Rules and Alerts. Start a blank rule that will "Check messages after sending." Click Next until you're warned about the rule working on all messages—that's what you want. The next screen should have an option to "defer delivery by a number of minutes." Pick a number, click OK, then Next. Skip the exceptions, name the rule, and click Finish.
With Thunderbird, you can go to the File menu of a message and select Send later (hit Ctrl-Shift-Enter). That puts the message in your Unsent folder until you're absolutely sure it's ready. Go to File and select Send unsent messages to shoot them off.
21. Put rules to work on your inbox
Having a wild inbox without rules is no party—it's a sure way to organizational meltdown. No one likes to follow rules, but if your messages do you'll be happier. They'll end up in the right folders, with the right color-coding and status, and they'll help you get things done. Microsoft has written up a basic tutorial for creating rules in Outlook. Thunderbird calls the feature "Message Filters" and eloquently explains how to use them. Most e-mail programs have a variation that you should put to work.
22. Don't e-mail what you can IM (or text, or Twitter)
Not everything you want to say may actually be worthy of a full message. Take advantage of the fact those you want to reach may use an instant-messaging application or may be following you on Twitter. Use Meebo to sign in to every service you have simultaneously—even Facebook.
Of course, SMS texting is the closest short-form equivalent to e-mail. I'd guess 99 percent of what is sent via SMS would be a waste of time in e-mail. Texts aren't limited to phones anymore (though you can see our favorite texting phones here.) You can send an e-mail from a PC to a phone via SMS using the right format; you need only know the recipient's number and phone network. (See "The Best Wireless Carrier Shortcuts" for details.) If you've got a Google Voices account, use it to send and receive texts from the Web site to anyone in your Google Contacts list.
23. Declare "e-mail bankruptcy" once in a while
The term e-mail bankruptcy refers to the "debt" you owe people sending you a message. In theory, you're expected to respond to all messages, or at the very least read everything you get, right? Declaring bankruptcy gets you out of that debt.
Responding to everyone is impossible for those who get a hundred or more messages a day. The only way to survive such a deluge is to prioritize and hope you don't miss something. In e-mail, as in business, sometimes you just have to give in and accept that you can't do it. Declaring e-mail bankruptcy may be the only hope for your sanity.
That means one thing: Erase your inbox. Yes, select all and hit Delete, and you can pretend those messages never arrived. If you can live with that guilt, you're golden. (And maybe ready for a change in jobs.) Let your coworkers, friends, and family know via your blog or Twitter or however you mass-communicate that if they expected a reply on something important, they should resend.
24. Avoid confidential info
MySpace and Facebook and other social networks display our lives. But if you send something in e-mail to a single friend you expect privacy, right? Sure. If you're lucky.
Nothing is private on the Internet. When you commit something to text—or worse, to pictures or videos—and send it out, you've created something that easily can be sent on again. There's nothing to prevent pictures you send to a boyfriend from going straight to his online Facebook account, except the decency and care for your well-being you trust he has. You might believe in him now, but those pics will still be in his e-mail after your breakup. Same goes for spouses, business partners, and anyone else you might part ways with. Trust is nice, but thinking ahead might be safer.
25. Create a useful signature
Your signature (or sig) is the block of text at the end of your message that spells out who you are. Sigs can be as simple as a "Best, Eric" or as complicated as a replica of your business card, complete with links to a Google Map of your location, and more.
What's useful may be in the eye of the beholder, but at the very least include your full name (spelled correctly, so when a correspondent misspells it later you can justly complain), title or company, e-mail address, and phone number.
Everything else—a Twitter or IM address, for example—is gravy. And some information is useless. Fax numbers? Snail mail addresses? Who uses that? Okay, there is a real world where an address is pertinent, I suppose. In which case try a utility like Texter to create multiple sigs, some with all info, some with limited info. Then insert the one that best fits on a message-by-message basis.
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