The RSCC  Online Writing Lab

Computer Mediated Communication, or CMC for short, is a relatively new field of technical
communication.  If one wants to keep a job or at least present a pleasant demeanor when using e-mail, there are writing techniques to consider while engaging in its practice.

There are all kinds of dangers inherent in CMC, not the least of which is the danger of any kind of
instantaneous communication, especially on the job or as a member of a large organization.  People also sometimes have a tendency to bond with their equipment--to think that they are anonymous computer users, and that they can hide behind the screen, but nothing could be further from the truth.  There is always a paper trail, and there is always an individual who reads your words.

At most organizations which utilize electronic mail, there is usually someone who uses the online system indiscriminately.  Those individuals damage their professional credibility, create enemies, and usually end up being ignored by many people, few of whom tell them how they are really perceived or why. With very little effort on the part of the writer, this can be avoided.

Consider that an enormous amount of work is conducted online.  At Roane State, for instance, e-mail is not just used as a communication device.  New policies and procedures are shared, written, and responded to online.  Committee work is conducted online.  The faculty have a teaching group where they discuss new methods of training, teaching, and assignments.  Students have a separate distribution list which is used to share needed information about courses, scholarships, academic deadlines, and activities. All of this occurs in writing, and much of it requires cooperation, timeliness, good manners, and an understanding of audience.

Therefore, remember the following writing guidelines when practicing CMC:

Practice style, grace, and good manners.  Never name-call; give people ample time to respond to you, and use the words "please" and "thank you."

When you receive an e-mail from someone that you would like to respond to (such as a survey from a fellow student), do not respond to the entire group. Most systems allow you to choose "a" for answer, and then may give you a prompt, such as "do you wish to reply to all addresses [A] or to the sender only [S]?" Choose to answer the sender in order to avoid flooding the distribution list with an answer that only pertains to one person.

Don't attempt to sell anything over e-mail at your place of employment.  Don't announce your
yard sale or even your favorite charitable organization's latest event.  Whatever you do, don't send
or answer a chain letter, and avoid sending out any e-mail of a personal nature or any e-mail about others. At the very least, your system administrator will strongly disapprove, but you could also open yourself up to a slander lawsuit.

AVOID WRITING IN ALL CAPS BECAUSE IT SOUNDS LIKE YOU ARE YELLING
AT YOUR READER. AND IF YOU ARE NOT YELLING, YOU MUST BE SHOWING
SOME KIND OF DISGUST OR ANGER OR CONTINUAL EMPHASIS. IRRITATING,
ISN'T IT?  SOME TIMES PEOPLE WRITE ENTIRE POSTS THIS WAY, AND THEY JUST GO ON AND ON AND THE READER'S BLOOD PRESSURE JUST GOES UP AND UP, BUT THE WRITER HAS NO IDEA HE OR SHE IS INFLUENCING THE READER IN A PHYSICAL WAY. WHY DO PEOPLE DO THIS? ONE REASONS IS BECAUSE IT'S EASIER TO MAKE ALL THE LETTERS IN ONE CASE. ANOTHER IS BECAUSE IT HAS JUST NEVER OCCURRED TO THE WRITER HOW THE E-MAIL AFFECTS OTHERS. It's unintentional.

Use all caps for headings or emphasis only. Make your e-mails as short as possible and divide
them into lots of paragraphs.  It's difficult enough to read on a computer screen without the writer
making it even more difficult, and studies have shown that typefaces which are all caps are more
difficult to read in any circumstances.

Use boldfacing carefully. Overusing it is exactly like highlighting every sentence in a book. The emphasis is lost and the post becomes difficult to read.

  Use emoticons :-) or bracketed expressions <grin>, especially when your meaning might be
unclear.  This is a difficult step for many people..  Some folks hate "smiley faces" and have since the day they first saw one bouncing off a t-shirt with the comment "have a nice day" beneath it, so they can't imagine using them on a daily basis. But such expressions go a long way to clarify your meaning, and bracketed expressions help even more.  Inserting <smile> or <grin>  into a few posts, especially when writers want to make sure they are understood, is useful.

Irony and sarcasm are very difficult to get across without body language, and you can really
hurt someone's feelings or create anger unless you know this.  Avoid using them or if you must, team them with emoticons or bracketed expressions.

Avoid writing a thoughtless reaction, no matter how tempting.  If someone writes something
that you find disagreeable or that really just irks you, allow time to pass before you answer.  If you
answer on the quick, your tone will show that you're angry, and the situation will almost always
escalate.  That might not happen in a f2f (face-to-face) situation, because when something is in
writing, it acts as a permanent reminder of what was said.  It may be printed out and used in your
personnel file, for all you know.  Keep your cool.

Don't send offensive language or jokes over e-mail.  For many years, people have circulated written office jokes or told them.  They're usually sexist and occasionally offensive. But the fact is, those manually circulated jokes are still circulated to familiar people f2f.  If you circulate them over e-mail, you are bound to genuinely offend someone.

If you're a member of a distribution list and someone says something you agree with, avoid answering with a one-liner such as "I agree!" or "Good point!" Others on the distribution list may receive hundreds of e-mail messages a day. Not only does your comment clutter up their mailbox, but they may have no idea to which e-mail you were referring. Or they may not read your e-mail until several days later--long after the discussion has gone on to other matters. Go ahead and agree or praise the writer, but either add to the discussion yourself or write to them privately.

When you answer an e-mail, it is often desirable to quote one or two lines from the post you are responding to, especially when time has gone by. Doing so puts your answer in context and acts as a reminder of the subject. This is really useful when you're writing several different e-mails to someone about several topics. Generally, the quote is preceded by a > sign, and is at the top or the bottom of your document. Some e-mail platforms do this automatically when you hit reply. Others do not.

When you're answering an e-mail, be sure and answer any questions you were asked by the sender. It's frustrating to have questions or comments ignored and to have to ask them again.

Avoid putting your foot in your mouth.  Don't make blanket assumptions about everyone in
your group.  Avoid discussing religion and politics.  Never attack anyone verbally, even if they are
not reading the e-mail.  They'll probably find out about it, and your words will haunt you.

Know thy audience.  Don't send useless information to everyone on the distribution list.  Don't
send copies of your e-mail to others unless you have a specific purpose in mind.  If you are sending confidential information by e-mail (never a good idea), clearly mark it as such. And avoid sending blanket e-mails which are received by people who are not involved in your topic or don't need the information.

When engaged in synchronous communication, for instance, talking to others in a web board chat room, emoticons are used even more.  In business situations, most people are more comfortable using bracketed expressions.  In an internet chat room, there are all kinds of other expressions which have become a kind of shorthand. They include "brb" for "be right back," "lol" for "laughs out loud," or "btw" for "by the way."  Avoid using those expressions in e-mail (they don't usually make sense to all your readers and may make them feel left out) and save them for the correct platform.

Check for accuracy in your e-mail.  Not only should you check spelling and punctuation, but
check dates, times, and locations as well, and make sure you say clearly what it is you want to say.

Don't discuss sensitive or personal matters over e-mail.  It rarely works.

Be forgiving of people who break these rules. Almost everyone has at one time or another.
 

Jennifer Jordan-Henley, 1998, with a tip of the hat to Darryl Duncan, former RSCC Director of Computer Services.

Back to RSCC OWL