To avoid the frustration that we’ve all felt when email recipients either miss the point of our email, or don’t even respond, try a different approach.

Use ACTION words in your subject line.

Sounds pretty simple, and it is. We just have to remember to do it.

Here are some subject line examples:

OK: Tuesday Staff Meeting
Better: Please bring the attached to the Tuesday Staff Meeting

OK: Schedule
Better: Requesting your availability for a meeting on xxxx

OK: Holiday Party
Better: Please provide your recommendation for our holiday party venue.

Hint – if your subject line is a noun, remember to add some action to it. You’ll be pleased with the responses you get!

Sometimes you need to get a new email address since one is full of spam, but don’t destroy it — use it for sites that aren’t important. I personally have three emails; one that I give out to forums, and sites like that, another for business, and a third for family.

This way I know that the forum email can get clogged with spam and I won’t care since I never really use it. I even have set up a false name and address for that email and use a dead cell phone number on it too, this way I don’t have to worry about people stealing my identity.

If I need to make transactions I use my business email for that, this one is my most active one, and because of that I constantly clean it out and keep it clutter free. I also use this for work.

One tip is if you use your “business” email to also look for work– don’t use a cute name, stick with your actual name and follow it by numbers. It looks more professional, if you use a ‘cute’ name they might not even look at your resume.

The family/friend one can have a cute name since only family/friends have access to it. This one is the second least checked account, since everyone has a social network page. This way you can keep all three lives separate your “Business”, “social/family”, and “Internet personality”.

About the Author:
Heather Green is a freelance writer for several regional magazines in North Carolina as well as a resident blogger for onlinenursingdegrees.org. Her writing experience includes fashion, business, health, agriculture and a wide range of other topics. Heather has just completed research onnurse types and clinical nurse specialist programs online.

We write we write we write, and yes, occasionally we mess up the proper use of words. Loose or lose? It’s or its?

Here’s a post you’ll want to read, and share.

http://blog.ezinearticles.com/2012/03/top-misused-words-of-the-english-language.html

It has happened to all of us. Those email messages that are just not – for us – in any way. And THEN, they send you more of the same. Argghhh!

I get this question alot, and yes, I do have some advice for you…

Either…

1. address it in person, with friendly dialogue or

2. ignore it.

The worst thing you can do is send an email telling them not to send these things. Why? They will most likely interpret your tone MUCH WORSE than you intended, and instead of neutral feelings, you will have prompted negative feelings towards you.

Trust me – an email in this situation just doesn’t cut it.

With a hectic schedule, modern distractions such as social networking sites, email, and the vast amount of information the Internet has to offer it is easy to get distracted and see your productivity levels crash. Without productivity, however, you will not get everything done. Increasing your productivity is the best way to ensure that you finish important tasks, but how do you avoid the perils of distraction and procrastination? The best way to become more productive is to break everything in your life down step-by-step and make solid, timessaving plans.

Create Weekly Plans

At the end of the week, write down every single task, even small tasks such as paying the electricity bill or cleaning the bathroom, that you would like to complete next week. This will help you to get a clearer picture of everything that you need to do. Create separate lists from your task list by separating work tasks, chores such as washing the dishes and other projects, such as writing a book, onto different lists.

You should have three lists, or more depending on how many different categories you have, one for work, one for chores and one for other projects. Separating your weekly to-do list will help you to see what categories will require more time, which can help your to delegate your time better throughout the week.

Keep a Daily Schedule

Once you know what tasks need completing during the week, you must incorporate them into your day-to-day schedule. A daily schedule will improve your time management and ensure that you are able to fit all of your tasks in. However, when making a daily schedule keep the following tips in mind:

• Many people often do not give themselves enough time to complete a task. Tasks always take longer than expected, so if you think a particular task should take an hour schedule in an hour and fifteen minutes to complete it. If you happen to finish the task in an hour, then you can give yourself the treat of a fifteen-minute break.
• If you feel like there are so many things you need that it seems impossible, then think of what tasks must be done. Before you even start on your schedule think of three to four tasks that are most important. These are your must-do tasks and everything else should be sidelined until you finish these three or four must-do tasks.
• When writing a schedule, it is tempting to put easy tasks at the start and put-off hard tasks until later. However, if you avoid a task in the morning it is unlikely you will ever complete it later on in the day. Instead, place the tasks you’re avoiding at the start of your schedule to get them out of the way.

  

Learn to Separate Work and Play

When working on a tedious or difficult task, it is easy to distract yourself with more enjoyable activities such as checking Facebook, or reading a post on your favorite blog. However, this makes the task take twice as long, and leaves less time in your schedule for other tasks, and for real breaks.

Instead, when faced with a tedious task, work in short, focused bursts without distractions, and then give yourself a real break. Do not blur the line between work and play by doing fun things like checking Facebook in the middle of work task.

Samantha Goodings is a professional writer who often writes on time-management and productivity for sites including Degree Jungle a resource for college students @degreejungle.

The ability to compose an interesting email is important not only for personal purpose but for professionals as well. Emails are the most effective, fastest and informal way of contacting and communicating with others. Whether your email gets read or ignored depends on how you use it to communicate your thoughts across to the other person. Writing an effective email is crucial if you want your message to grab the attention of your target promptly. As the sender, it becomes your responsibility to ensure that you present your case effectively, which will instantly attract the attention of the recipient. Here are some top tips for getting your email across with positive response.

1. Clear subject line and determining the desired outcome

Be clear in your presentation about what you want or are trying to put across. When your thoughts are disorganized then you will not be able to focus on the desired end results and may confuse your receiver. Use a clear subject line because if it is blank or is vague then it might get thrashed by the recipient. Remember, people receive many emails and some are instantly thrashed due to their vagueness in the subject. Therefore, take a moment and clearly state your subject line for accurately describing the contents of your mail.

2. Be to the point and keep the message focused

Cut all unnecessary introductions, compliments and other social niceties but get straight to the point so that the interest of your recipient sustains. Be nice but be brief about it and do not waste the time of the recipient with an endless message. Do not clutter your email with multiple messages which are loosely related, as this is a sure way of getting your email into the thrash box. You can split up your points into separate messages if your points are substantial enough.

3. Avoid attachments unless very essential

You will get faster results if you copy paste the most important parts of any document into the body of your message, so that your recipient need not take the trouble of having to open another program to download a file attachment. However, you can also send the attachment if it is a very important file along with the copy paste message. If the message is interesting enough, the recipient will take the extra trouble to open the attachment for further details.

4. Proofread

It is always good to proofread your message before sending it out, particularly if it is meant for a higher authority or for many people altogether. A well written message will not only be more professional but will also be appreciated on the other end. Use simple english in a conversational tone and be realistic and authentic in your approach.

5. Font matters as well as formatting

Avoid using bold fonts, small fonts or too large fonts which may put off your recipient. By the judicious use of numbered lists, bullet points and short sentences, your email can easily be scanned and read by the recipient.

These are just some of the few tips on writing an effective email which can help you in your daily dealings with people on email. Remember, writing an effective email can make your workload that much easier, as you can get things done faster when there is better response from your receivers.

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About the author: Ellen Spencer is a blogger by profession. She loves writing on luxury and technology. These days she is busy in writing an article on best mobile phone.  Beside this she loves reading. She recently bought an Android PDF Reader from a fare.

I just caught a great article on Mashable about a startup that really ranks up there in helping you manage email overload. It is free, too. I just tried it and it was awwwsome.

It’s called unroll.me.

How sweet! Let’s you unenroll in one maneuver, and has all your remaining selected newsletters show up all at once. Love it!

Here is the whole article. http://mashable.com/2012/02/27/unroll-me/

Social networking sites are often perceived as the nemesis of workplace productivity and in some cases, they can be exactly that. Used positively however, they can be highly beneficial to the your business and increase customer engagement, workplace morale and results in general. Here are three reasons why.

Professional Networking
Social media services such as LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook are excellent tools for professional networking and you can utilise them to build beneficial relationships with others in your industry. Whether to exchange ideas and advice or discuss industry news, relevant contacts can be invaluable. Networking sites are also fantastic ways to recruit new employees and your next rising star could make first contact with a reply to a tweet.

Happiness and Teamwork
Social networking sites keep employees in touch with each other’s lives and, as a result, friendships can be easily cultivated. In terms of effect on the workplace, this can boost morale and promote teamwork. It doesn’t have to be on Facebook or Twitter either and enclosed social networking tools for your business only, such as Yammer, can be an excellent way to give people their social media fix while interacting with other employees and keeping it relevant to work.

Keep in Touch With Your Customers
Social media sites are an excellent way to build a relationship with your customers and can be used to keep a simple dialogue open with consumers. A Facebook page, for example, can act as a notice board and allow them to post their questions and comments, which you can address quickly and easily in a transparent environment for everyone to see. In addition to answering support questions, you can also inform your customers of new products and services and let them know of any significant events that may be occurring.

These three simple reasons are just the tip of the iceberg and while employees playing FarmTown is clearly not helpful to your business, there are countless aspects of the social networking spectrum that can be utilised to positive effect.

About the Author
David Gerrard works for Boards Direct, one of the UK’s leading suppliers of whiteboards, notice boards and display boards.

College Students (and others…) Listen up! Good advice on crafting email messages from Neltje Maynez:

When you are in college, or taking classes from an online university, many students are concerned about their class work and keeping up in class. In today’s world, it is even easier to keep in touch with professors. A student merely has to send an email to a professor. They don’t even have to talk face to face. Many professors like emails because they can provide accurate information to the student. However, many professors don’t like email because they feel that students are far too informal with the emails they send. Too often, professors say that they see things like, “Lol”, “Ttyl”, “hee hee” and professors have no idea what those even mean! This skills that are used when you are in college will be used in the workplace. Whether you are a student, or a professional, here are 10 rules to writing a professional email.  Your professor (or boss) will be pleased, and you will probably receive a quicker response.

1. Make the Subject Line Count
You want your the person you sent the email to first open your email. They get tons of emails a day, and if it is urgent, you want the recipient to read it. Include what class it is for, and what questions you have. The professor will appreciate it.

2. Get to the Point
If you are able to present the problem in the first sentence, the person will be more willing to help you.

3. Identify Yourself
Especially if this is for a professor (and even a boss) tell them what class you are in, and what section. Many professors teach many classes, and if you tell them which class you are, it will help them answer your questions even faster. If it’s for work, make sure that you are clear about what you are asking about.

4. Keep the Text Language to Yourself
Avoid anything such as “brb”, “ttyl”, that may be good for texting, but keep it out of emails.

5. Keep it Short
You want your email to be very short. Keep it around 1to 2 paragraphs. If it is longer than that―but you must send it, try including bullet points. The recipient will be more likely to read it. If you have a lot to say, try just talking to the professor. It will be easier for both parties if you need to talk at length.

6. Say Hello!
It is always nice when you add a small hello, or good morning, or good afternoon. It shows that you are trying to be polite. You aren’t bothering the recipient with lots of showy sayings, but you aren’t being rude either.

7. Proofread
Make sure to read your email before you send it. You will be able to catch a lot of mistakes. Your professor and co-workers will respect you if you can spell and have proper punctuation. This will also get you in the habit of reading over your work before you submit it.

8. Be Pleasant
Just because you are annoyed with a professor or co-worker,  don’t show it in your email. They will be less willing to help you.

9. Respond Fast
Email is supposed to be fast. If you don’t respond within 24 hours, the person you sent the email to will forget about your question. Even if you respond and tell the person that you got their email, but you don’t have the time to draft an appropriate answer, let them know. They will appreciate that you took the time to inform them.

10. Have an Appropriate Signature Line
Make sure that if you have a signature set up on your email, it is profession and free of quotes, silly fonts, or smiley faces. Others will think you are immature if you send them an email and your signature is something in pink with smiley faces.

Writing emails can be an art. You want to be pleasant while getting straight to the point. If you learn to write good emails to your professors, they will want to help you. You will also be building skills when you go to the professional world. Any professional appreciates a well-written email.

The Author
Neltje Maynez is a current writer for MyCollegesandCareers.com. My Colleges and Careers is a site that helps people get to their top careers.

Today’s free resource is actually a one minute video, done by yours truly, with more on the real key to managing your inbox – and why it is different to sort those messages rather than “work” them.

Good stuff — we promise!

Click here for your Inbox Detox Minute.