Mailer D(a)emon

This is a 'Gyaan' post. Close on the heels of the last post in which I mentioned how my writing skills have been finetuned, this post is about writing good mails - readable and enjoyable. It is not about your grasp over writing that I try to improve here (I so definitely can't do that), but some basic mailing manners that will go a long way.

[I write this because I am pissed off at the way people send mails, so damn painful to read and understand]

1. Subject:

The bloody subject line is to give a gist of what can be expected in the mail body. It is essentially to get the reader into the proper frame of mind before getting him to read the actual mail. Use the little available space very wisely else the mail might not even be read.

- Subjects like "Hi" and " :-)" are acceptable (if at all) only in an informal mail.
- Subjects like "Regarding the sports budget" is for crazy nuts. You write " Sports Budget information required" instead.

2. Formatting:

This goes all the way down to the basics. For all you people who have cleared class 10 and class 12 English, here is a list that you NEED to keep in mind:

- A noun begins with a CAPITAL letter.
- There is always a 'space' after a full-stop and a comma.This is not acceptable, this is.
- When you refer to yourself, I is I and not i.
- Although no one stops you from using '...' all over the place, DO NOT do that. A full-stop and a comma can almost always rescue the situation.
- Use of block letters (caps) should be avoided unless of course, unavoidable. It is considered rude to use block letters. Use it a tool to aid the mail and not rape the mail.

[Bonus Suggestion: Refrain from using SMS language - u, k, 5n, sed etc in a mail. SMS is a short message, a mail is not always. So too much of it in a mail screws it bigtime ]

Body:
The first line in a mail is very important - it will set the tone for the rest of the mail. So spend some time on it, ponder. Think about the reader before you type the bloody thing.

Use the available space in the mail body. USE. Do not try to cram everything into one line or a paragraph as if it is a black-hole. Use multiple paragraphs is need be.

End the mail in a polite way. Use PS if need be to reiterate a point made in the mail or remind the reader of something. All is well that ends well.

Additional Fundaes:

Use italics, bold, font size effectively - not many people do that - Infact, very few people might know that such a thing exists in Gmail/Yahoo. It can really help drive home the point and catch the reader's attention. Usage of colour is also a factor, but it is not recommended to generate a rainbow in a mail.

Phew! I hope this post does good to the world. And spares all the fellow mail-readers the pain I have endured.