E-mail etiquette

With the advent of e-mail, it's easy to jot a disjointed note and send it off to clients or colleagues. But a slap-dash approach may lead you to say things you'd never consider appropriate if you were using a pen and paper. Keep out of trouble with these e-mail etiquette tips:

• Don't use all caps. People interpret all caps as screaming, and using all capital letters can hurt readers' eyes.

• Use spell check. This small step can save a lot of embarrassment and improve the impression you make.
• Don't be too casual. Your e-mail correspondence should send the same professional tone your practice strives for.
• Watch the humor. Sarcasm, in particular, can fall flat and be misinterpreted.
• Clean up forwarded messages. Delete the previous "to" and "from" references, and fix any annoying spacing problems.