Netiquette (aka Email Ettiquette)

Why bother? Because email is a communication medium - if no one is listening becuase you are so doggone aggravating to deal with, why should you waste your time? On the other hand, if you do have something to say worth saying, it's worth the effort to make sure the information is packaged in such a way that people will hear it!

A company needs to implement etiquette rules for the following three reasons:

Professionalism: by using proper email language your company will convey a professional image.
Efficiency: emails that get to the point are much more effective than poorly worded emails.
Protection from liability: employee awareness of email risks will protect your company from costly law suits.

--From emailreplies.com

The legal liability issue is very real, especially for people in legal, financial, and health-related industries.



Some online resources:

http://www.library.yale.edu/training/netiquette/addition.html - Yale University

http://www.learnthenet.com/english/html/65mailet.htm - LearnTheNet.com

http://careerplanning.about.com/od/communication/a/email_etiquette.htm - the Career Planning Guide at About.com

http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/pw/p_emailett.html - Purdue