1. Do not forward emails without asking first. Just because someone gave you their email or are friends and family doesn't mean they give you permission to spam them. That's right. It doesn't matter whether you're getting email from someone you know or that it's not commercial in nature. Fact is, people consider any unsolicited mail spam. When someone gives you their email, they want to hear from you, not a story or a joke. Once or twice is ok, make it a habit and you'll get under their skin. So what do you do? Ask first.

2. Don't double send email and Instant Message. That's just a waste of everyone's time and floods the receipient with messages. You'll just come accross as pushy.

3. Becareful with and pay attention to your TO's and CC's. If there are many people you'd like to share a message with, use BCC instead or everyone on the receiving end will be able to see everyone else's email address. You don't want to be spreading other people's email address now do you? There have been times some emails received contain a whole list of other people's email address because they have been forwarded and passed outside the realm of friends and family over and over. Who knows where the email will end up?

5. Treat attachments as sacred. If it's the first time you're working with someone or sending them attachments it's a good idea to ask first. Most people have set up filters and firewalls to delete messages with attachments. If you give them a heads up, they can expect it and probably respect you more for it.

6. Get to the point. Most people gloss over their emails. Don't make them read a novel. Get to the point quickly and say it outright what you expect from them if you expect any action at all. Also, you know those fancy stationery? The ones with fancy background and a ton of eye candy? Turn them off. Some people have their email readers to not read anything but plain text and that's just distracting.

7. Good subject lines and put your name to it. Set up your email so that it'll show your name not your email address when someone receives it. People recognize your name but may not recognize your email. Also try to be descriptive in your subject line. That's one of the first things they see. You want them to read and not think you're sending them junk.

So there you have it. If you follow these simple principles, people won't be afraid to receive email from you. More importantly, they'll know you're trustworthy and respect their privacy.
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