DEPARTMENT A Short CourseIn E-mail Etiquette (NAPSA)—Many consumers believe e-mail is what keeps them connected to the world. In late September 2001, twothirds (67 percent) of polled Americans online felt e-mail enabled them to feel connected to hundreds, possibly thousands and even millions of Americans as a means of providing comfort and support. That sentiment continues. E-mail use has been on the rise. Parents use it to keep relatives up-to-date on children’s first steps, soccer goals and college acceptances. Friends use it to trade news, recipes, sports scores and stock tips. According to Peggy Post—etiquette expert, author and spokesperson for the Emily Post Institute—e-mail is entering new territory and further ingraining itself into Americanlife. “E-mail has become a way for people to tell stories, share humor and feel connected. Today, people are using e-mail in ways that were implausible five years ago.” Case in point: Post says that in some cases, sending thank you’s and condolences via e-mail is now an acceptable practice. Another change: from dinner parties to weddings, e-mail is used as a social planning tool for millions of busy Americans. The Emily Post Institute and Cideo, Inc., makers of Mivo e-mail message machines, created the Mivo Monitor, a survey to study the personal e-mail habits of Americans. A Mivo Monitor for the 2001 holiday season found half the adults surveyed (50 percent) feel it is appropriate to invite guests electronically to holiday parties and request e-mail RSVPs. According to Post, there are still guidelines to consider: * Let’s get this party started quickly: Americans want to get together. E-mail invitations and RSVPs are perfect for informal entertaining and make planning efficient and less time-consuming, says Post. Try e-mail this year to keep in touch with loved ones faster and more easily than ever before. * Reach out and e-mail someone: At times of grieving and loss, sending out a condolence e-mail lets someone know right away that they are in your thoughts without being too intrusive. Be sure to also send your handwritten condolence note. * Convert the technophobes: Your children want to e-mail their thank-you notes in addition to their handwritten notes. Grandma and Grampsaren't online. Call a truce. Let the kids teach the grandparents how to use e-mail. They'll be connecting more often. Reaching out to loved ones and reconnecting over e-mail is convenient and inexpensive given the diverse and jam-packed schedules of most Americans. For those without a computeror Internet access, e-mail message machineslike Cidco’s Mivo 250 could be the solution. The Mivo 250 costs $150 plus $15 per month in service fees. Post reminds us, whether a coworker, college roommate or grandmother, every e-mail recipient may not react the same to every message. “Keep e-mail content limited to correspondence you know they will welcome and yourrelationships will blossom as a result.” For more information about Cidco™ message machines check out the Website at www.cidco.com.
