I subscribe to the Microsoft-At-Work RSS feed (even though I often get quite frustrated with the evil empire as wrought by Bill Gates). Regardless, today’s “feed” by Christopher Elliott (source article linked at the end of this post), outlines eight tips for handling email to and from a wireless device. Since SmartPhones are so ubiquitous, I excerpted the key messages below:
If you’re sending to someone on a wireless device
Consider sending the message later, when the recipient is at PC. Seriously. Your message to a wireless device is likely to be glossed over or even overlooked completely. If you don’t believe me, then try to remember the last time you checked e-mail from your wireless device. Were you paying attention? Neither was I. If you’re sending to someone on a PDA, ask yourself: Can it wait?
Write headlines like you're texting. Conventional wisdom says you should give your recipient enough information in the headline to know whether the e-mail needs to be opened now or later (i.e. at the office). That’s still true, but the advent of texting has modified that rule. It’s still important to write a clear, simple headline that conveys the gist of your message, but texting has shrunk the attention span of the average PDA user. Now it’s not a question of whether to skip words or abbreviate, but how much? Should it be: "See you at 5 p.m." or "See U at 5" or even, "cu@5"? The answer is: Whatever works best for your recipient.
Be concise, but don’t oversimplify. Even users who pull up the full message don’t expect a dissertation. People who read your e-mail from a mobile device (just look for "Sent from my Windows Mobile Smartphone" in the signature) need to get the information fast. But remember this still isn’t text messaging, so mind those abrvtns and don’t skip important details. "People send far too much information," says Stever Robbins, the host of podcast, The Get-It-Done Guy. His advice: Begin messages with a one-paragraph summary of the entire e-mail, so readers on mobile devices can get to the heart of the issue immediately rather than scrolling down a tiny screen.
Follow up politely and promptly. If you know you’re sending to a PDA, mark your calendar to follow up with that person soon afterward, either by e-mail or phone. Because no matter how compelling your headline or your text, there’s still a good chance it might be overlooked or forgotten. At least that’s how Rachel Weingarten, author of the book "Career and Corporate Cool," sees it. "People will glance at a message on their smartphone and a part of their brain will tick it off as having been dealt with," she says. The key is to follow up politely. Don’t assume the e-mail has been overlooked. A gentle nudge is all that it often takes to find out if the message got through.
If you’re sending from a mobile device
Don't compose and converse at the same time. I’ve seen it many times, and so have you. Someone who is multitasking—talking on the phone, typing an e-mail, and who knows what else. "If you must answer or type a message, please excuse yourself," says Oliver Mims, who hosts the online etiquette series "Proper Ollie." "Do not type and carry on a conversation at the same time." And why not? It's just bad manners. You wouldn't imagine talking to someone on the phone and in person at the same time, would you?
Take your time—or better yet, wait. Related to the distraction problem above, if you’ve ever been on the receiving end of a message hastily typed from a smartphone, you know what I'm talking about. The message is riddled with typographical errors and appears abrupt. "People are so anxious to answer on the spot that they sacrifice the quality of their communication, which wouldn’t be the case had they waited to respond," says Pamela Holland, co-author of "Help! Was That a Career Limiting Move?"
Don't keep the device on 24/7. Even though being accessible all day and night can be good for business, it can ultimately be bad for you. Just because you can be wired all the time, don't submit to the temptation. We all know the impact of "always connected" lifestyles on our personal health.
Mind your Ps and Qs. Technology can be a blessing and a curse. My PDA, for example, can finish words by trying to guess what I wanted to say. Pay close attention to this "helpful" feature, because it doesn’t always guess correctly. Ditto for automatic spell-check features.
Whether you’re sending or receiving e-mail from a mobile device, one rule holds true: If you're aware of your surroundings, and aware of other people, you're far less likely to offend anyone. That's how I see it, and it's also how blogger and etiquette expert Anna Post sees it. "When people are mindful of being considerate and respectful of those around them," she says, "they usually make the right social decisions."
LINK TO ARTICLE:
http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/officelive/FX102533521033.aspx?xid=3D6C82EC-C8B7-4E86-B154-32CD0A58D874&mode=print