Department of Dental Informatics

e-mail use

The U-M policy on e-mail is implicit in the policy on "Proper Use of Information Resources, Information Technology, and Networks at the University of Michigan" SPG 601.07. See http://spg.umich.edu/section/601/
The U-M guarantees its e-mail systems to be secure and backed-up. University business should only be conducted using an U-M e-mail system or an external system that guarantees to be as secure and backed-up as U-M systems.
Patient information should only be e-mailed using axiUm or encrypted e-mail.

To, Cc and Bcc
- To: is for people you are directly addressing.
- Cc: is like FYI: use only when the recipients know or can easily guess why they are receiving a copy.
- Bcc: is recommended when you send a message to people who may not know each other; by using Bcc each recipient sees only two addresses: theirs and yours.
Subject
- Always type a subject: something meaningful both to you and to the recipient. If you are canceling a meeting, write "meeting on Tue, Aug, 30, canceled", rather than "meeting canceled".
- Don't leave out the message thread, i.e. use "Reply" instead of "New Mail"; saves time when you look for related e-mails in your inbox.
Content
- Don't write anything you wouldn't say in public. Messages may be forwarded, accidentally or not.
- Don't send or forward e-mails containing libelouos, defamatory, offensive, racist or obscene remarks. Avoid sending nasty e-mails or replying in anger.
- Refrain from using e-mail for confidential information; think of an e-mail as a post card.
- Long e-mails are discouraging to read: keep it short and to the point.
- Avoid sending e-mails to large numbers of people, unless you need to: they may be considered spam.
Signature
- Include your name at the bottom of the page: the message contains your e-mail address, but the recipient may not realize that it belongs to you, especially if it is different from your name.
- Avoid using scanned images in a signature, as they tend to be very large.

In a FOIA situation e-mail may be read and then there are the hackers, who if they really want to read your e-mail, they'll find a way to do it.
E-mail software, like any software, can go wrong and people may receive messages meant for someone else.
Personal e-mails using U-M e-mail system are regarded as official University communications regardless of content.

Avoid forwarding a message or attachment without permission, you may be infringing on copyright laws.
Avoid request delivery and read receipts: they are so annoying that some people block these functions.
Do not ask to recall a message: if you made a mistake, it's better to send an e-mail saying so.

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Formatting tips

Use proper spelling, grammar and punctuation: it not only gives a good impression, it also conveys the message properly.
If you need to emphasize someething and can't use italics or bold, a common convention is to use a *star* on each side of the word.
Do not write in capital letters: it's the equivalent of SHOUTING at someone.
Make it personal: include the name of the person you address the e-mail to; address the person the same way you would in person.
Reading from screen being more difficult than from paper, structure and layout are important: use short paragraphs and blank lines between them, numer or mark the points you are making.
Take care with abbreviations (BTW, LOL, etc) and emoticons :>)); the recipient may not know what they mean.
Keep in mind that some of your formatting (colors, for instance) may look different on a different browser and that some people may not be able to read rich text or html formats.
Avoid using Urgent and Important, unless you really mean it: your message might come across as slightly aggressive.

Do not attach unnecessary files, especially large ones, unless you really have to. Limit the size of attachments to under 5MB or even under 1MB.
Use plain text, RTF or PDF formats; these can be handled by most e-mail systems.
Avoid sending attachments to e-mail lists.
Do not open an attachment if you don't know what it is or if it was sent by someone you don't know: it may contain a virus.
Don't keep mail longer than necessary, especially large attachments. It will quickly fill up your mailbox.

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Reply tips

Reply, if at all possible, within 24 hours; at the very least send an e-mail that you have received it and that you will reply later.
Reply to All: use it only if you need your message to be seen by everyone who received the original message. Do not automatically reply to all.
Read your message before sending it: not just to check spelling and grammar, but also to avoid misunderstandings.
Chain letters: do not forward them, just delete them.
Hoaxes (e.g., warning you about a new virus): Do not forward them. If in doubt, check the "Virus Busters" website to make sure it's a hoax.
Do not reply to spam: you'll only confirm that your address is "live". Delete it or use your e-mail software to remove spam automatically.

Save a tree: e-mails were supposed to reduce, if not eliminate, the use of paper. Too many e-mails are unnecessarily printed.
The good news: E-mail is designed for convenience: unlike a phone call, you reply in your own good time.
The bad news: Do not assume that people will immediately read your message, let alone immediately reply to it. For emergencies, use the phone.