Email discussion lists have changed the way we communicate by allowing individuals scattered all over the world to participate in a discussion. Communicating via an email discussion, however, is quite different than communicating face-to-face or by phone. The sheer number of people participating, combined with the time delay of response can make a discussion difficult to follow. The following are simple suggestions, which if followed by all participants, will help everyone the list to have a productive experience.
1. ALWAYS REVIEW THE "TO" LINE: Keep in mind that whatever you post will go out to the entire list. Before sending your message, make sure to take a look at the "To" line to make sure that you do not inadvertently send a personal message to the entire list.
2. CLEAN YOUR MESSAGES: When replying to someone else's post, try to remove the unnecessary portions of the thread. This will reduce the amount of bandwidth required by the mail server and also the amount of mental bandwidth required for subscribers to quickly read and interpret your message. Quote or keep only the most relevant sections of the message you are responding to.
3. KEEP YOUR RESPONSE IN CONTEXT: When removing unnecessary text, make sure to leave enough of the prior message in your post so that your comments can be read in context with respect to who you are responding to. Also, make sure to indicate who on the list you are responding to, particularly on a long thread. Posting a message such as, "yes, I have that problem too" without indicating who you are talking to and what problem you are referring to creates confusing traffic on the list.
4. USE A DESCRIPTIVE SUBECT HEADING: Make sure that the subject heading concisely describes the contents of your message. If you are continuing a thread where the subject heading is no longer appropriate, rename it but indicate the prior heading as well, such as: "Question about sunglasses (was: Question about eye drops)"
5. SEARCH THE ARCHIVES PRIOR TO POSTING A QUESTION. If you are a new subscriber very often the question you wish to ask has already been asked and discussed. Reviewing the archives will get you a much quicker answer. If you still need clarification or wish to discuss the issue further, you can then post a more specific message to the list.
6. SIGN YOUR POSTS: Use a brief signature on your posts that indicates your background if it is pertinent. For example, a physical therapist responding to a question should put "PT" after their name. If anonymity is desired, a first name and last initial will help those engaged in the discussion keep track of who is responding to who.
7. WRITE LOGICALLY: If you have a complex question to ask or point to make, think through your message in advance. After writing you message, make sure to read it from the perspective of someone who does not know anything about you. The more difficult your post is to read, the more difficult it will be to respond to.
8. PAY ATTENTION TO SPELLING AND GRAMMAR: After writing your post, make sure to review your message for spelling errors, typos, and poor grammar.
Copyright 2006, Dr. Elio Spinello