Funny thing happend yesterday. I had sent out an e-mail blast for one of the organizations that I belong to. It was an announcement about a speaker her speaking event. Seems a young man took exception with my playful words. So, he flamed me via e-mail.

Why is it we tend to be so rude to others through e-mails?

Here are The 10 Commandments of Email:

1. Thou shalt include a clear and specific subject line.
2. Thou shalt strip quoted text down to the minimum thou needest.
3. Thou shalt read thine own message thrice before thou sendest it.
4. Thou shalt ponder how thy recipient might react to thy message.
5. Thou shalt check thy spelling and thy grammar.
6. Thou shalt not curse, flame, spam or USE ALL CAPS.
7. Thou shalt not forward anecdotal chain letters.
8. Thou shalt change the subject field as the subject changes
9. When in doubt, save thy message overnight and reread it in the light
   of the dawn.

   And, the 10th and “Golden Rule” of E-Mail:

10. That which thou findest hateful to receive, sendest thou not unto others.

Remember, if you don’t know who you are flaming, maybe you shouldn’t flame them. The speaker I wrote about happens to be courting me to speak to my organization. I’m sure she wouldn’t appreciate hearing about one of her “fans” abusing the person who makes the decision to book her. Hmmmm….