I received a couple e-mails the other day that were not sent directly to me but were a “reply all” to some group e-mails. I don’t think the authors realized that they had hit “reply all” and that what should have gone to just one person (if that, really, judging by the content) went to the entire group. What came through was impatience and poor communication and it just was not very professional. I realized how quickly a person’s reputation can be damaged by a quick, hot-headed reply to an e-mail.
I know that nearly all of us have committed poor e-mail etiquette. We’ve sent the e-mail to the wrong person or accident replied when we should have taken time to think first. I know that I tend to wrestle with poor spelling or switching letters around and that can make for confusing (if not sometimes humorous) issues. BUT, thinks like impatience, frustration and unprofessionalism come through loud and clear in e-mails and can really come around to haunt us.
Think first, and definitely re-read any e-mails you are tempted to send. Double-check who you are sending them to as well. If you really want to say something specific to one person or react to something on a personal level—make sure that you are not broadcasting your personal thought to an entire company or distribution list. Remember that if you hit “reply” to an e-mail that was sent to you as part of a group, your e-mail will likely go to every other person in that group and NOT the specific sender.
Keep in mind your reputation and how you want to appear—err on the side of caution when it comes to protecting your business reputation and sending a professional, contained, and patient image out there into the universe.