Bach Seat

Email is one of the best things that has happened to business efficiency since telephones landed on the office desk.  For instance, in 2023, global electronic mail (email) traffic reached approximately 347.3 billion messages daily.  To put this into perspective, imagine stacking 4,021,296,296,296 standard 8.5″ x 11″ sheets of paper.  This stack would equal seven trips to the Moon.  Moreover, by 2026, email traffic is expected to surpass 390 billion.

Despite its popularity, people misuse and misunderstand the technology in many ways.  Therefore, remember to treat office messages as potentially accessible by authorized parties.  For example, your boss can legally read your communications if you’re an employee.  Similarly, your information technology department can probably read your mail if you’re the boss.

Email is impossible to destroy

Once you hit the “Send” button, your note is gone and impossible to destroy.  Consequently, for several reasons, you will never know who received a forward or what hard drive your note lives on.

Human Error:

1. Misaddressing: Typing the wrong address can lead to messages being sent to unintended recipients.
2. Reply All: Accidentally clicking “Reply All” in a group mail can broadcast the message to everyone on the list.
3. Forwarding: Recipients may forward the message, even if the original sender intended it to be private.

Technological Issues:

1. Email Spoofing: Malicious actors create messages that appear legitimate, tricking recipients into opening them.
2. Data Breaches: Compromised email servers allow hackers to access and distribute emails.
3. Clients and Servers: Bugs or vulnerabilities can lead to unauthorized access.

Organizational Factors:

1. Lack of Clear Policies: Organizations without clear communications confidentiality policies may lead to misuse.
2. Inadequate Training: Employees unaware of email risks may mishandle sensitive information.

Email is more like a virus.

You’re mistaken if you think online correspondence is temporary, like a phone call.  Instead, it’s more like a virus that you can’t cure.

Even with electronic mail’s many benefits and entrenched position in users’ lives, many users post like their mothers never taught them online manners.  To address this, some fundamental mail rules (Netiquette) help create a positive and respectful online environment.

The first rule is to avoid using ALL CAPS, as it conveys shouting.

Subject lines

Do not say negative things in online correspondence.  DON’T!  (Yes, I yelled.) Negative messages are likelier to find their way into a courtroom because people don’t sue each other for happy things.  Remember.  Written words create a record that may need defending later.  The heat of the moment has a funny way of playing out in court years later.

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