Netiquette (for Students and Others in My Life)
There are many good websites on email etiquette. Please familiarize yourself with them:
http://www.emailreplies.com/
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/pw/p_emailett.html
http://careerplanning.about.com/od/communication/a/email_etiquette.htm
http://www.writerswrite.com/journal/dec99/pirillo1.htm
There are hundreds of these; if in doubt, Google “netiquette” or “email etiquette” and browse to your heart’s content.
When you are first using email in professional situations, there can sometimes be an awkward transition. My special concerns are listed here:
1. The first thing to remember is that email access to your professors is a privilege and not a right. Officially, I owe you my availability during our class time and during the three or four hours of the week I have designated as office hours (or special appointments in the case of scheduling conflicts with office hours). You may not realize it, but most professors are designated to spend only 40% of their work week on teaching, with the other portion for research activities and service (committees and administrative tasks). What this means is that, while I do want to be as helpful to you as possible, I cannot be available 24-7. I will always try to respond in a timely manner, but please do not expect instant replies, long explanations, or evening and weekend attention to simple questions that are answered already in your syllabus or in class. In other words, be reasonable and develop some sense of respect and professional boundaries. (See more in #6 below.)
2. Please use your NAME to sign your email. First and last is even better. But never rely on me to figure out that starrychick@gmail.net or machodude@aol.com is you, even if I have a list somewhere with your email address linked to your name.
3. It’s also a good idea to mention the COURSE and section number in your email. Unless I have gotten to know you really well over a long period, or through an intensive project such as a thesis, then it just helps me place you more quickly if I can access the context.
4. Punctuation and spelling count. We all understand that email is a casual form, but extreme sloppiness reflects badly on you. If your email to me is full of typos and bad writing while your papers are good, I will wonder who did the papers for you.
5. Control your tone. As much of the advice on the internet states, it is foolish to flame. Especially when you are writing to someone with authority over you, it makes sense to choose your words carefully. If you are upset, arrange a face-to-face meeting where subtleties can be worked out. In fact, at UCF, any email that you send or receive (either from your UCF account or to mine) officially becomes a part of your academic record. Please remember this, and be appropriate.
6. Please, please, please, please do not waste my time. I want to be available to you to consult about academic matters, but do NOT send me email about how you had car trouble and asking if we did anything important in class. My assumption is that class is ALWAYS important. While you may not feel that way, it’s best if you don’t point it out to me. In fact, I have a general policy against re-teaching classes that students miss. So, email your favorite classmate when you miss class, not me, for missed assignments. I WILL NOT ANSWER THESE EMAILS. (There are exceptions. For instance, if you have or a family member has a serious health problem, or if for some similar reason you must miss class suddenly and for an extended period, then please do let me know via email.)
7. Please do not send me mass emails or add me to junk mail lists. Whether they are jokes, schmaltzy poems, or great offers on toner cartridges, I am not interested in receiving such emails. In general, you should NEVER forward junk email to anyone without their prior permission, no matter how much you personally like the junk email. One particular kind of appealing mass email is the “Mars will be close to earth this month” or “Women: watch out for the new hypermunchkin disease.” These often seem irresistible, and I certainly don’t want to miss Mars sitting on my rooftop, but please check through www.snopes.com to see if they are hoaxes.
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