Using the Internet: Common Sense Must Prevail

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Technology has changed every aspect of our lives. This is evident, among other things, how we communicate using electronic medium. Typical example is how E-mails have transformed the way and ease in which we can send or receive information. Certainly, they have countless advantages over other medium. Nonetheless, they can easily be abused either intentionally, or through ignorance. Several incidences have been reported or documented by different sources, including media outlets where E-mails have either ruined people's marriages, careers and even landed some in jail. As we progress deeper into our careers or even academic ladder, it is inevitable that E-mail writing will be the order of the day. It is important to learn, not only how to click that mouse and send, but to understand the etiquettes of email writing. This is the aim of my essay; to explore the intricacies of the E-mail and how to win the war of illicit emails. David Shipley, deputy editorial page editor and op-ed page editor of the New York Times, and Will Schwalbe, senior vice-president and editor-in-chief of Hyperion Books, have provided us with great resource in email writing. Their book Send: why people email so badly and how to do it better, starts with a script of emails from Michael Brown, director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency during Hurricane Katrina, in which he was mocking his unfashionable FEMA attire, for example, during the worst days of the disaster (3).Here they illustrate the bad things that happen with emails and the consequences wrong emails .Similar sentiments are expressed by Nancy Flynn and Tom Flynn in their book, writing Effective E-mail: Improving your Electronic communication. Beside their excellent tips on mechanics and f... ... middle of paper ... ...UAB address (that is ....@uab.edu) but may not be appropriate sending very personal information through this gateway because someone may have legal right to review these emails. In summary, E-mail writing can be the most momentous experience and surely it is sometime fun. However common sense must always prevail when writing them. Otherwise, we may end up in heap of ruins of damaged careers, reputation and marriages or perhaps end up behind bars. Works Cited Flynn, Nancy, and Flynn Tom. “Writing Effective E-mail.” Improving your Electronic Communication. USA: Von Hoffmann press, Inc, 2003. Print. Shipley, David, and Schwalbe Will. “Send.” Why People Email So Badly and How to Do It Better. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2008. Print Trimble, John R. “Writing With Style.” Conversations on the Art of Writing . Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Prentice Hall, 2000. Print

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