~~NOTOC~~ ===== Week 01 — Professional communication tools ===== /*==== Evaluation ====*/ Up to 10 points can be gained towards your final score. == 1. Introduce yourself to the class [2 points] == Log in to MS Teams using your university account and /* join the Information Literacy team using the code ''0ua428c''. */ post a short message to the **Self Introduction** channel of the Information Literacy team. Introduce yourself, your main interest(s), and say which topics of Information Literacy you already have experience with. (Throughout the course, use the **Q&A (English)** and/or **質疑応答 (日本語)** channels to ask any questions you might have about the course or the content of the classes. If you can answer a question posted there, please do not hesitate to do so.) == 2. Use e-mail for professional communication [8 points] == One of our teaching assistants (TAs) will send you an e-mail asking you to send a reply with an interesting or funny image attached. Our TAs are official members of the teaching staff for this class and so your reply should follow proper "netiquette". It should be professional, formal, and polite. Use any reference materials you can to make sure your reply is professional, for example the notes posted on the course web site or articles/blogs about writing e-mail that you can find by searching online. When you think your reply has been properly prepared, send it to our TA. Using proper netiquette in your e-mail includes * using an appropriate subject line, greeting, closing, signature, and "signature block" with your professional details; * using proper sentences, grammar, and punctuation * quoting the relevant parts of the original messages when you reply to questions; and * providing any relevant files as attachments to your reply. == 3. Bonus [1 point] == Continue to use the **Q&A (English)** and/or **質疑応答 (日本語)** channels to post and answer questions about the course content. Students who contribute outstanding answers to the **Q&A (English)** channel might gain a bonus point towards their final score. == Further practice == Team up with one other student from the class (e.g., the student who sits next to you). Send your partner a professional "business" e-mail asking if they would be willing to help you improve your communication skills. Be formal and polite, as you would when seeking a business partnership with someone you do not know personally. Read the e-mail that you receive from your partner. Think of ways that it could be improved. Write a formal reply that explains how you think they could improve their e-mail to you. When you receive the reply suggesting how to improve your original e-mail, reply one more time formally thanking your partner for their time and kindness. /* Download the Prepare a series of scenarios, e.g., topic of conversation changes radically or someone is suggested for a task. Have students identify which parts of the e-mail message should be modified. Send the exercise to the students as an e-mail. */ /* ==== Evaluation ==== Up to 10 points can be gained towards your final score. Posting a short self-introduction message to the IL team: up to 2 points. Using proper netiquette in your e-mail: up to 8 points. For example: * appropriate subject line, greeting, closing, and signature: up to 4 points; * use of proper sentences, quoting of original messages in replies: up to 2 points; * proper use of attachments: up to 2 points. */ ==== What you will learn from this class ==== * What kinds of professional communications tools are available and how they can be used. * How e-mail works and the various parts of e-mail messages. * How to use e-mail for effective communication in a professional setting. ++++ Glossary of e-mail terms | ; address : A symbolic representation of the sender or a recipient of an e-mail message. Addresses have two parts. The domain name says where on the Internet the message should be sent to (usually an organisation or e-mail service), and the local name says to whom the message should be delivered within that organisation. ; archive : A file containing one or more other files. A program such as ''zip'' or ''tar'' can insert files into and extract then back from an archive. ; attachment : A file sent along with an e-mail. Attachments are typically media files (pictures, sound files, movies) or archive files that cannot be represented as text and cannot be included in the body of the message. ; blind carbon copy (bcc) : A version of carbon copy (cc) that does not show who is in the recipient list. ; body : The main part of an e-mail containing the text message that is to be sent. ; carbon copy (cc) : A list of recipients, in addition to main recipient, who will receive an identical copy of the message. ; closing : A line just before the signature that politely terminates the message. Examples include: "Yours sincerely," "Yours Faithfully," "Best regards," "Regards," etc. ; compose : The act of writing an e-mail message. ; correspond : The act of exchanging an e-mail message. ; correspondence : The e-mail messages that are exchanged between correspondents. ; correspondents : The people engaged in an e-mail conversation. ; content : The main body of the message. ; context : Background information. Often relating to a reply, and sometimes needed to understand the reply. Parts of a received message can be quoted to provide context when replying to that message. ; conversation : An exchange of e-mail between two or more people. ; copy : Sending an e-mail to additional recipients using cc or bcc. ; domain : The name of a service, organisation, or computer connected to the Internet that can receive and deliver e-mails on behalf of its clients, members, or users. ; e-mail : Electronic mail. ; emoji : Little colourful pictures sent in electronic messages that convey thoughts or emotions. They are often small yellow faces that are laughing, frowning, etc. ; emoticon : A representation of an emotion using only text characters. For example `'':-)''' is smiling or happiness and `'':-(''` is sadness. ; etiquette : The semi-formal rules that correspondents follow when exchanging messages. Etiquette dictates how messages are structured and what kinds of standard phrases (such as greetings and closings) should be used. ; filter : A software algorithm that removes unwanted (spam or junk) mail from reaching your inbox. ; flame : An aggressive, confrontational e-mail intended to insult or annoy the receiver, or embarrass them in front of the other people engaged in the conversation. To be avoided at all costs in professional communication. ; forward : To send a copy of a received mail to another person who was not a recipient of the original mail. ; from : A header item containing the address of person sending the e-mail. ; header : Information about the e-mail message that is not part of the content. Includes the from, to, cc and bcc addresses, date, and subject. ; inbox : The place where your incoming e-mail arrives. ; netiquette : Etiquette for the Internet, including how to behave responsibly when sending e-mail. ; opening : The first line of an email naming the recipient, with an honorific if they have one. Examples include: "Dear Dr. Spock," "Dear John," "Dear Madame," etc. ; participants : The people involved in an e-mail conversation. ; pleasantry : A nice thing you say in the first part of your message after the opening to `break the ice'. Examples include: "I hope you are well." "Thank you for your e-mail." "Sorry to bother you at this busy time." ; postal : A mail delivery system using printed messages on sheets of paper sealed inside a paper cover and delivered to a physical location in the world. Typically unreliable outside Japan. ; quoting : Including a portion, or even all of, the message that you are replying to in your reply. ; recipient : A person receiving an e-mail message. ; respond : Replying to an e-mail that you have received. ; response : An e-mail sent in reply to one that was received. ; safety : Protecting users against fraudulent activities and other e-mail attacks. ; security : Protecting e-mail content against unauthorised viewing. ; send : Begin the process of having a message delivered to the recipient(s). ; sender : The person sending an e-mail. ; shouting : Text that is typed using all capital letters. DON'T DO IT! ; sign : Placing your name at the end of an e-mail. ; signature : Your name written at the end of an e-mail acknowledging that you are the author. ; signature block : Your professional details (position, telephone number, company, physical address, web site URL, etc.) placed at the very end of a message to act as a kind of `virtual business card'. ; subject : A header item describing briefly the purpose or content of the message. The subject can be very important to the recipient(s) and should always be present and carefully written. ; thread : A way to present e-mails to the reader by collecting identical subject lines together into a single group. ; trimmed : E-mail content that has been edited to make it shorter. Typically done when replying inline so that only the relevant parts of the original message precede the answers. ; zip : A program often used to package up many small files into a single file to be attache to an e-mail message. ++++ ==== Notes ==== There are many different kinds of communication tools. In an educational or professional environment the most important are collaboration support systems and e-mail. === Texting === Students and younger employees likely use text messaging (texting) for their daily communication. Text messages are brief and usually answered within a few minutes or hours. Because of the limitations of the message format, they are most suited for informal conversation with friends and family. However, texting from personal devices can sometimes be appropriate to alert colleagues to emerging situations such as arriving late for a meeting because of a train delay. Faculty members and managers are likely to prefer e-mail for all professional communication. === E-mail === E-mail is the standard communication tool in professional (academic, industry) life. Its advantages include permanence, searchability, non-invasive delivery, and the ability to compose messages of any length with as much care and consideration as are warranted by the situation. Just as you can send an informal birthday greeting to a friend or a formal request to the head of a company by postal mail, so you can send the same kind of content (with the same levels of formality) by e-mail. The e-mail paradigm is very close to physical mail: a //sender// writes a message, a third-party //mail delivery service// (online rather than postal) delivers the message, and a //recipient// picks up the message and reads it. E-mail messages have several parts, some of which have names that correspond to the same parts of a postal message. Just as in postal mail, every message must specify the recipient's //address// (as is always written on the front of postal mail), the sender's address (as is often written in the corner or on the back of postal mail), some //content// containing the actual message (corresponding to the paper inside the postal envelope), and possibly one or more //attachments// (sometimes called //enclosures// in postal mail) which are separate documents sent along with the written message. == Headers and addresses == Every e-mail message contains a //header// which includes the date, the sender (''From:'') and recipient (''To:'') addresses, and the subject of the message. Messages can be delivered to more than one recipient by putting more than one address in the ''To:'' line. Messages can also be //copied// to other people using the ''Cc:'' and ''Bcc:'' fields. Replying to an e-mail message usually sends the reply to the sender (the ''From:'' address in the original message) although this can be changed by setting the ''Reply-to:'' field in the header. | ''Date:'' | the time and date the message was sent | | ''From:'' | the sender's address (becomes the ''To:'' address if the message is replied to) | | ''To:'' | the address of the recipient(s) who are expected to contribute actively to the conversation | | ''Subject:'' | the purpose of the message or a one-line summary of the content | | ''Cc:'' | 'carbon copy' address(es), for observers of the conversation or non-active participants | | ''Bcc:'' | 'blind carbon copy' address(es), for observers of the conversation whose names will not be made visible to anyone else | | ''Reply-to:'' | The address that will become the ''To:'' address in a reply (instead of the ''From:'' address) | E-mail addresses contain two parts separated by an ''@'' symbol. The second part (after the ''@'') is the //domain name// of the organisation that is responsible for receiving the message. The first part (before the ''@'') is the //local name// of the person (or department) within that organisation who should receive the message. For example, mail to ''katsuma.yoshiyuki@kuas.ac.jp'' will be delivered to a particular organisation (KUAS) and within that organisation a particular person (Mr. Katsuma) will be able to retrieve and read the message. Similarly, e-mail sent to ''sales@honda.co.jp'' will be delivered to the sales department within the Honda Motor Company, Ltd. == Message content == {{:class:il:01-letter-2.png?direct|Example business e-mail.}} {{:class:il:01-letter-1.png?direct|Example business letter.}} Writing a professional letter on paper means following social conventions and business //etiquette//. Writing a professional e-mail means following "//netiquette//" (from Inter**net** ''+'' et**iquette**). Many of the conventions of netiquette are related to making your e-mail easier for the recipient to read. To develop an intuition for netiquette, just ask two simple questions about every part of your e-mail message: * What is the purpose of this word/sentence/paragraph (or other part) of the e-mail? * How can I maximise its efficiency (make it shorter) and effectiveness (make it convey my message better)? For example... | ''Subject:'' | Does it accurately reflect the content of the conversation? (Some people look quickly at just subject lines and immediately delete e-mail that appears irrelevant to them.) | | ::: | Could the recipient find this conversation again in the future based only on the subject line? | | message\_content | Does the recipient really need to know/read this content at this moment in time? | | ::: | Is the amount of detail just right for the recipient? | An e-mail message can be composed as if it were a postal letter to the same recipient. The same stock phrases, order of items, and levels of formality and politeness, can be carried over from paper letters to e-mails. | Greeting | Indicates the name of the person you are talking to. Titles (e.g., "Dr.") can be used if appropriate. Women are "Ms." (instead of "Mrs." or "Miss") unless you know their preference. Using "M." leaves the gender unspecified, for situations in which it is unknown. | | ::: | Dear Sir, Dear Madam, Dear Professor, Dear Mr. Secretary, Dear Dr. Spock, Dear Ms. Jones, Dear Mr. Kite, Dear all, Dear colleagues, etc. | | Opening line | Brief introduction to the message including references to any prior communication if appropriate. In a reply, a thank-you to the sender for their previous message. | | Body | Main content written simply, clearly, and concisely. | | Closing | Thanks the reader for their time, expresses eagerness to receive a reply, etc. | | Signature | A sign-off including "Regards", or "Sincerely" if you opened with the person's actual name, or "Faithfully" if you did not use their name, followed by the name of the sender. | | Signature block | Professional contact details about the sender: job title, postal address, telephone number, etc. Can provide similar information to a "business card". | == Replying == When replying to an e-mail, most mail software automatically inserts a copy of the original message in the reply. This is called //quoting// the original content. Typically each line of the quoted original is preceded with a ''>'' symbol to distinguish it from the reply. Replies can be divided into three styles, according to how this quoted material is used. | top-posting | The reply is at the start of the message and the entire original message is left quoted underneath the reply. | | bottom‑posting | The entire original message is left quoted at the top and the actual reply is added underneath it. | | inline\_reply | The quoted original message is carefully edited to extract just the relevant parts, and associated replies are inserts underneath each quoted part. | Efficiency and effectiveness are also important for replies. //Top-posting// accumulates lots of previous content in reverse order (compared to the chronological order of the conversation) and therefore creates more work for people joining the conversation later on. //Bottom-posting// accumulates lots of previous content at the top in correct chronological order, but this can force readers to scroll past a lot of history to reach the important part of the message. (The quoted content can be trimmed to minimise the amount of work the reader has to do.) //Inline replies// avoid the disadvantages of both top- and bottom-posting. Inline replies are more efficient for the reader, help keep the total size of the message small, and produce better results when searching through e-mail messages for specific information or conversations. While conducting an e-mail conversation, anything that is no longer needed can be removed, anything that is lacking can be added, and anything that is inefficient or ineffective can be modified. | ''Subject:'' | \_ Does it //still// accurately reflect the content of the conversation? | | ''To:''\_and\_''Cc:'' | \_ Is the message still going to exactly the right group of people? | | reply\_content | \_ Is the structure of the reply efficient and effective? | | ::: | \_ Is replying above the original message more or less effective than replying inline or below it? | | ::: | \_ Is the amount of quoted material just right to give the best context for the reply? | == Emoticons == Facial expressions and other body language are not available when communicating by e-mail. In less formal professional e-mails, the use of //emoticons// can help to indicate emotions that would accompany parts of a message delivered face-to-face. Some mail software will convert emoticons into graphical //emoji// for the reader. ^ emoticon ^ emoji ^ typical meaning ^ | :-) | :-) | humor or happiness | | :-( | :-( | sadness or unhappy | | :-D | :-D | very large grin | | :-) :-) | :-) :-) | laughing | | :-p | :-P | sticking out tongue ("so there!", "I told you so!") | | ;-) | ;-) | winking | | :-| | :-| | disgust | | :-/ | :-/ | puzzled | | :-o | :-o | surprised | Text effects popular with adolescent users, such as aLtErNaTiNg CaPiTaLs iN nOrMaL tExT are very difficult to read and therefore contradict the goal of maximising the effectiveness of communication. Similarly, writing in ALL CAPITAL LETTERS can be interpreted as shouting or yelling; alternatives such as using punctuation for virtual /italics/ or _underlining_ or *boldface* are much gentler on the reader. == Attachments == Documents that are separate from the main e-mail message but sent along with it are called //attachments//. Attachments are best kept small and limited in number. Some mail delivery services will delete e-mails having large attachments, without warning or indication. Original photographs can be very large and are often down-sized before sending by e-mail. PDF files that use unnecessary text effects such as drop-shadow can also be very large. (A good solution to that problem is to avoid using unnecessary text effects in documents.) Some mail services might also reject messages with too many attachments. Programs such as [[https://www.7-zip.org/|zip]] let you gather many files into to a single archive for attaching to an e-mail message. Some mail software reformats message content. If layout such as +--------------+-------------------+ | tabular | data | +--------------+-------------------+ | written as | mono-spaced text | +--------------+-------------------+ needs to be preserved then a plain text file containing the content can be sent as an attachment, to protect it against reformatting. == E-mail security == E-mail is inherently insecure. Messages are transmitted and stored without encryption, making them relatively easy to intercept and read. Secret information sent 'in private' by e-mail might easily become public knowledge. If sensitive information must be sent by e-mail, one way to protect it is to send it in a password-protected ''.zip'' archive. Accidentally sending e-mail to the wrong recipient, or replying to everyone in a conversation instead of just the original sender, is a common mistake. One way to mitigate that problem is to leave the recipient fields blank and fill them in just before sending the message. The sender of an e-mail has no control over who might read it. Negative comments made about a person in an e-mail could eventually be seen by that person, causing embarrassment (or even loss of job) for the sender. A recipient address might be mistyped, for example, or one of the intended recipients might decide to forward the message to the person mentioned in the negative comment. == E-mail safety == Cyber-criminals can use e-mail to compromise your computer or your personal information. This includes stealing your financial information to commit fraud. Messages received from unrecognised sender addresses might include attachments that introduce [[https://us-cert.cisa.gov/publications/virus-basics#email|viruses]] to a computer when opened. [[https://www.phishing.org/what-is-phishing|Phishing]] messages are written so that they appear to be sent by a trusted person, such as a bank manager (asking for account details or password "confirmation"), or by an unknown sender seeking a collaboration with apparently huge benefits for the recipient. It is //extremely// unlikely that such messages are genuine. A good way to increase the safety of e-mail is to install a [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Email_spam|spam]] (junk mail) filter to delete suspicious messages before they are presented for reading, and an anti-virus program that scans attachments for potential threats. Many online [[https://www.ontrack.com/en-us/blog/webmail-vs-email-clients-one-choose|web mail]] services provide these functions for all their users' incoming e-mail. Some (such as gmail) go further by banning outgoing attachments that might contain harmful content. /* ++++ Original notes | //Note on presentation style: the main points below are presented descriptively (not prescriptively) as solutions to questions intended to encourage intuitive understanding// * //what is the purpose of e-mail communication?// * //how can I approach e-mail so as to maximise its efficiency?// * //what is the purpose of a subject line?// * //what should I put in a subject line?// * //is there any reason to change/edit the subject line?// * //what is the purpose of a reply?// * //how can I structure my reply to be most efficient?// * //is context important?// * //what kinds of quotation are most effective?// * //how much of the original message should I quote?// //etc.// * always use a relevant subject line; some people ignore e-mails unless the subject line indicates relevance/importance; * initial greeting, as if you were writing a paper letter using title or formal name; if you don't know if a woman is married, use "Ms." instead of "Mrs." or "Miss" * professional: Dear Sir, Dear Madam, Dear Professor, Dear Mr. Secretary, Dear Dr. Spock, Dear Ms. Jones, Dear Mr. Kite, or in a message to many people you can begin with: Dear all, Dear colleagues * personal: Dear Sally, or more informally: Hi Sally, Hello Sally. * include a pleasantry if you have not talked to the person for a while * professional or personal: I hope you are well. * if you are replying, thank them for their previous message: * professional: Thank you for your message concerning laboratory waste materials. * personal: Thanks for the info about all those cool vacation destinations! * write simply, clearly, and concisely; include only necessary content; if you have longer content to include, add it as an attachment * if you have several topics of conversation, consider sending one e-mail per topic * e-mail is not dynamic like in-person conversation; you cannot modify your delivery based on recipient reaction; convey your mood or expression using emoticons for smiling, winking/joking, regret/sadness * **never** assume e-mails are private; recipients can add others to cc: line, or you may accidentally "reply all" instead of "reply sender" * if you have to include confidential information, put it in a password-protected attachment and send the password separately (preferably by telephone in the most sensitive situations) * never type in all-capitals, because THIS IS LIKE SHOUTING in face-to-face * and never, ever use alternating case, for any reason: tHiS kInD oF wRiTiNg Is PoPuLaR wItH tEeNaGeRs BuT sErVeS oNlY oNe PuRpOsE wHiCh Is To MaKe ThE cOnTeNt ExTrEmElY dIfFiCuLt To ReAd * write properly: check spelling and grammar; SNS shortcuts for limited message size such as "How R U 2day? I'm gr8, OK C U 2nite!" have no place in e-mail conversations; * writing proper sentences is just as easy and quick and you have unlimited text space in an e-mail * use a level of politeness that is appropriate; for professional e-mails never use slang, strong language, or other inappropriate content (imagine you are having a face-to-face conversation with all the people who will receive the e-mail) * be sensitive to cultural differences: if writing to Japanese, put sentences on a line of their own; if writing to non-Japanese, run sentences together horizontally into a paragraph, etc. * proof read every message before sending it; put yourself "in the place" of the recipient and check that it communicates efficiently and clearly * avoid flaming: voicing strong opinions or arguing; never respond when you are angry; if you cannot help writing while angry, read it again the next day before sending; * abusive e-mails are just as unprofessional as face-to-face abuse (and are just as much harassment and can get you fired, expelled from university, etc.) * put your name (and other contact information if appropriate: official title, telephone number, postal address, etc.) at the end of your messages * precede it with a pleasantry if appropriate: "Looking forward to your reply." * if you are in a hurry for a reply, say so politely: "Please let me know at your earliest convenience." * formal ending (to lawyer, doctor, etc.): "Sincerely, Jim" or "Faithfully, Jane" * very polite professional ending: "Best regards, Jim", or "King regards, Joan" * professional ending (work or university): "Regards, Jack" * do not send spam or propagate chain mails * respect copyright; if you include material written by someone else include either a link to the original online or an attribution (author's name) * if you forward an e-mail, it is almost always appropriate to cc: the original sender so they know who reads their mail and who might respond to it * consider if you need to forward the entire message: edit the content to send only the relevant part(s), if you can * when you receive e-mail, respond to it in a timely manner * if you cannot reply to an important e-mail within a reasonable time, send a short replay saying you received the message and when you think you can reply properly * if the e-mail contains important information but does not need a reply, send a very short acknowledgement of receipt: Dear Katsuma-san, Information received - thank you! Regards, Ian * if you add or remove people from the cc: line when replying, say so at the start of your e-mail * reply to the fewest people possible: use reply-to-sender whenever you can (make reply-to-sender be the default in your mail reader, if you can) * be careful of replying to all when your reply is meant only for the sender * especially so if you include some informal comment about the other people in the conversation that you would not want them to read * don't send "me too!" messages to a large group of recipients * if you have to, send a "me too!" to the original sender only * the original sender can always follow up with "five more people contact me to say they have the same problem" if that information is relevant * if composing an original message, put fill in the address last to avoid sending a half-finished message by accident * when adding the to: address, beware of auto-fill from contact lists that might put the wrong recipient with a similar name to the person you intended * use plain text if possible: it makes smaller messages, they are more "portable" (can be read anywhere), and you are not tempted to use distracting "pretty" formatting * if you receive e-mail not intended for you, reply with a short note to let the sender know * however, if the e-mail looks at all suspicious then just ignore it * the sender might be testing your e-mail address to see if it is current, before including it in a list of "active" e-mail address that they will sell to advertising companies ==== Effective communication and organisation ==== * change the subject line if you change the topic; especially important for people with threaded e-mail viewers; * topics are organised by thread, and people ignore threads that are not relevant to them; changing topic starts a new thread. * Changing subject line to reflect new topics also helps when searching for e-mails; * some mail readers (gmail) automatically group "conversations" together, and good subject lines are essential; * if you change the subject line, retain some indication of the original, e.g. "Where to meet next weekend [was: Possible vacation activities]" * quote the original message, but do not quote the entire message and then reply underneath; * instead either reply at the top and leave the quoted message underneath, or reply in-line by adding your responses in the middle of the quoted original; * this is best with very short quoted sections (edit the quote sections if necessary to keep only the relevant text); * if it is not obvious you are replying in-line, say "responses are in-line below" at the top of your message ==== Attachments ==== Documents attached to an e-mail message. * Beware of large attachments: some mail programs will delete your mail without any warning or indication. * How to zip/unzip large files or folders with many files. * Hint: use a .txt file attachment or .zip the content if layout is important (viz, ASCII art). ==== E-mail safety and security ==== E-mail is a potential way an attacker can inject viruses or malware into your computer, or steal your personal information (rapidly followed by your personal money, possessions, etc.). * always use an e-mail service, or your own program, that scans attachments for viruses * be especially distrustful of attachments you were not expecting * do not click on web URLs in messages from people you do not know * even from people or organisations you know, there can be counterfeit e-mails with links to malicious sites * always check URLs before clicking on them (hover the mouse and read the URL, or right click to "copy link" and then inspect it in your browser's address bar before pressing ENTER) * be very careful of cleverly disguised URLs, e.g: * instead of "account.amazon.co.jp" you might be tricked into clicking on "account-amazon.co.jp" * the web page might look exactly like amazon.co.jp but will actually steal your username and password when you try to log in * it might (e.g.) steal your login details, tell you "password incorrect", and redirect you to the real amazon site so that you suspect nothing illegal has happened * never, ever reply to anyone asking for any kind of financial details or other personal information (e.g., the famous Nigerian crown prince who needs to send 100 billion yen to your account in return for you keeping 50% of it) * no legitimate organisation will ever ask you to give them your password by e-mail, or any other messaging service ==== E-mail filters ==== Most e-mail clients (Apple iMail, Mozilla Thunderbird, etc.) let you set up filters to perform automated actions on your e-mail. * match e-mail by sender address, recipient address, keywords in the subject line, etc. * filters can automatically move mail to a specific folder, or delete them * e.g., I have rules for * putting Amazon e-mail about orders into a specific folder * automatically deleting e-mail from several senders who somehow manage to get through my spam filter ==== Other communication channels ==== There are lots of them. They typically differ from e-mail either because * they are public forums where anyone (or your entire team) can read messages * they are for "instant messaging" when you have to communicate with a minimum of delay * they allow only very short messages or small images * they provide specialised support (like automatically linking content in your messages with management tasks, to-do items, etc.) Informal channels, not so useful for work: Instagram, Facebook Informal channels that can be useful for work: SMS, Line, etc.; e.g., for announcing your train is delayed and you will be late for a meeting Formal channels that support work: Slack, MS Teams, specialised sites like github.com for software development (issues, bug tracking, task assignment, etc.) ==== Texting ==== Faculty and managers and more likely to prefer email while students and new hires may be more likely to use texting for their primary communication. Text messages are brief and come with the expectation that they will be quickly answered within a few minutes to a couple of hours. E-mails are often longer and a response may not be expected for 1 to 2 days. E-mails are more likely to be classified and saved, and referenced again long after they were sent. Because they are brief, text messages tend to be condensed, be more informal, and use more abbreviations. Follow these general guidelines when texting in a professional setting: * Ask permission before texting as some faculty may prefer communication by email, or may not even have an account for texting and will require all communication to be by e-mail. * If you do text, always identify yourself. Configure your smartphone to include a signature file with your name in all text messages. * Use texting only when it is appropriate. Texting is best used when you require a quick response or if you want to share a key piece of information. Anything more should be moved to e-mail or a live conversation. * Keep it brief. As a general rule, a text message should be no more than 150 characters. * Be factual and on topic. Expressions of emotion such as emoticons/emojis usually do not belong in a text sent in a professional setting. * Use abbreviations with care. Abbreviations are easy to misunderstand or misinterpret. * Respond to incoming texts as soon as reasonability appropriate. However, be considerate of your environment: are you are driving, or in the middle of an important conversation? Wait for the appropriate time before responding. * Use correct spelling and punctuation evenin texts. Proper punctuation helps to keep your message clear. Poor spelling indicates you do not know the correct spelling or maybe do not care. * Nothing written is ever confidential. Be prepared for your text to be forwarded or shared when you least expect it. ++++ */ /* * Local Variables: * eval: (flyspell-mode) * eval: (ispell-change-dictionary "british") * eval: (flyspell-buffer) * End: */