Published: July 20, 2008 12:32 am            

MARREN: Too many e-mails lack salutations

LOCKPORT — We all get a lot of e-mails these days. Some are garbage, but others are legitimate correspondences from friends, family, co-workers, etc.

There are a few things that have bothered me about this form of communication. First, e-mails are a lot more informal than a phone call or in-person visit. But there’s ease with that as well.

Another thing with e-mail is it’s tough to interpret what someone means. The inflection and tone of speech are lost in writing sometimes, especially e-mails. Many times, an e-mail is read the wrong way, where the recipient is put off by what the author has written. In most cases that wasn’t the sender’s intention. Sometimes it is.

What interests me most about e-mail is the salutation, or lack thereof.

First off, most, if not all e-mail correspondence needs a closing salutation, even if just “thanks,” which is what I use most times. Or “thank you.” Sometimes I think I use “thank you” too much. I’ll get an e-mail with the sender asking me to do 15 things, and I sign “thank you.” They should be thanking me, and sometimes the request e-mail is absent of any thanks.

I’ll get into the e-mails that have some unique salutations, but it’s the ones that have no salutation at all that bother me. As I wrote, e-mails are impersonal to begin with, the least you could do is throw a “thanks” or “take care” in there.

It doesn’t take much, and it really makes a difference, especially in this business when you get so many e-mails. I’ll tell you, the more respectful e-mails get my attention more than the type that almost come across as demands.

“We want this release run five times in the next two weeks on the front page with a big headline.” — John Doe.

Ouch. Take it easy there Mr. Doe. There’s one editor at this paper and even he doesn’t make demands like that.

Sign your e-mail with a simple closing and it goes a long way with the recipient, if you ask me.

Now, there are some great salutations out there. Tasha Kates, a former reporter here, used to tell us about a music teacher, I believe from Starpoint, who would sign his e-mails “musically yours.” She would counter, or at least considered countering, “journalistically yours.”

“Cheers” and “Best” drive me nuts, personally. I think they are nice, and proper — but they are also very proper. I feel like I’m in England or something. “Cheers” should be with a drink and “Best” works best with “all my best” or “best wishes.” But don’t get me wrong, both are very nice. But maybe a little pretentious.

I was looking at a Web site on salutations and saw “stay tuned.” That’s a cool one. It would be great if you were a radio DJ or programmer.

“Keep your stick on the ice” is another one I like. I guess “Red Green” made it his own salutation at the end of his show.

“Yours eternally” and “Until we meet again” are pretty deep.

“Out like a fat kid in dodgeball” and “Made in Taiwan” and “My five minutes are up, be sure to tip the wait staff” are hysterical.

Whatever you write, just write something. If you can, cater one to your profession. The funny ones are great and will bring a smile to the recipient’s face. Bosses don’t need to get all cutesy, but a simple thank you goes a long way.

“All the news that’s fit to print” — Tim

Managing Editor Tim Marren’s column appears every Sunday. He blogs daily at lockportjournal.com/blogs. He can be reached at 439-9222, ext. 6238, or marrent@gnnewspaper.com.

        

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