Email credibility

 One of the great things about writing this column is the feedback – the positive is nice for the ego and the negative is a valuable reality check that highlights where I can do better.

Effective criticism is constructive while an ill considered rude email helps no-one, least of all the sender.

A good example of pointless advice appeared in my inbox after last week’s column. Titled “credibility” the entire text read: “For your site to be credible you need to fix the very first sentence on your website.”

Nice. Not even a “kind regards” to sign off with.

Now, if I could figure out which website the commenter was talking about, his remarks would have been useful. But in the absence of anything specific, let alone any courtesy, the email wasn’t credible.

Which is a shame as they may have a very good point. We all make mistakes which sometimes get past editors and proof readers.

But I couldn’t find the problem, and given their attitude I wasn’t inclined to get into a conversation with the poster, who at least did have the manners to include their name and email address.

The internet is not a manners-free zone, it’s the opposite. The net makes it easy for millions to read what you write, so I’d argue etiquette is more important in emails and blog comments than in any other medium.

I’ve written before about taking a deep breath before sending an angry email and there’s a comprehensive checklist of email manners on the PC Rescue site, but the principles are simple – basic manners, common courtesy and never write anything you wouldn’t want to see next to your picture on the evening news.

Which is how you should conduct yourself throughout your professional and personal life.

Right now we’re seeing a massive drop in the value of assets as the global debt binge unwinds. One asset that’s immune to this is your credibility.

Now is not the time to be devaluing your personal reputation and that of your business through an ill-considered email.

Paul Wallbank has spent 15 years helping businesses with their technology issues. Over that time he also grew PC Rescue into a national IT company and set up the IT Queries website. Today Paul assists business facing the challenges of today’s market and believes entrepreneurs and new thinking is what will fix the global economy.