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 Careful communication applies to e-mail. While e-mail enhances business communication, it carries many risks. E-mail is not considered private, and should not be used to communicate sensitive information. Business owners typically reserve the right to monitor any system for compliance with policy and applicable laws. Careless e-mails can result in legal repercussions.Defamation, fraud and harassment claims have resulted from e-mail communication that didn't receive careful consideration. Be sure your communications never implicate or run afoul of antitrust and insider trading laws. Communications can reach unintended audiences.You should always assume that any message you write could get into the wrong hands. Technically adept individuals can intercept communication, or even modify and forward an e-mail. A good guideline is to avoid sending an e-mail message that you would feel uncomfortable reading in the newspapers. E-mail is never really gone.While paper documents can be shredded and discarded, your deleted e-mail may still exist somewhere else ? on a server, a tape backup, or a printout. Never assume an e-mail is fully erased, even after you empty your recycle bin. Send only "need-to-know" information in your e-mails.When you send someone information, send only the necessary information, not an entire database or a whole file, even if it would be more convenient. Restricting access to those who need to know, will help prevent unauthorized modification and minimize mistakes made by users. E-mails should only contain information relevant to the subject you're discussing.While e-mail communication lends itself to a "less formal" form of communication, the information in your e-mail should remain factual. If it's not, you should clearly state that it's an opinion, prediction, or speculation. Avoid making generalizations or exaggerations in your e-mail. Generalizations ("our products always work") and exaggerations ("I left you a hundred messages") can lend themselves to misinterpretation. Beware of using inclusive terms, such as "all" and "always" or exclusive terms, such as "none" and "never." Proofread all e-mail communication.Review what you've written for typos and grammar mistakes. You should also review the tone of your message and consider whether or not you've unintentionally included information that can confuse, offend or convey information that shouldn't be conveyed. Check the names of the people listed in the "Send To" line.Make certain you have not inadvertently included names of persons who should not receive the communication. Always verify the sender before opening attached files or visiting a specified web site.Don't open any documents or execute programs or scripts from unverified sources. Whenever possible, delete e-mails from unknown sources before opening. Be careful of e-mails from known users.Keep in mind that a friend or co-worker could inadvertently send a virus. Question whether it makes sense that the sender would have sent the particular e-mail, document or file extension.
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