Do you end your emails with "Thanks" or pepper your prose with "I's," "me's" and lots of exclamation points!!!? You might be coming off as rude, even if you didn't mean to.
A firm called Outsource-Philippines compiled a list of ten deadly word sins that people should never use when composing emails "to ensure that you're not giving the recipient the wrong impression."
Among the tips: avoid swearing. Use exclamation points sparingly -- a single one at most. Avoid the word "actually" because "it makes you sound insulting and annoying."
The site also suggests you don't say "sorry" in an email because it's better to apologize in person when you make a mistake.
You can check out the full list below and consider editing your emails accordingly.
But the advice is certainly not the last word on email etiquette. As CNET's Leslie Katz points out, "some of [the] suggestions come across as far too broad, even in relation to dealing with customers. The word 'important' can help underscore a point without rudely insinuating readers aren't smart enough to know important emails when they see them. And the words 'me' or 'I' don't always make the writer sound selfish do they? I don't think they do, I really don't think they do."
And she adds, "Digital communication, like most human interaction, is far from one byte fits all. Sometimes a little spontaneity and a few exclamation points (!!!) can go a long way toward humanizing an exchange, even one that originates with a big, faceless company. They actually can."
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