Email etiquette

With the growing prevalence (and one might say: inundation) of email correspondence, using proper email etiquette is becoming increasingly important. Ed Smith, CEO of INTECSea, made some excellent points on this topic in his company’s most recent newsletter. With his indulgence, I would like to report some of Ed’s thoughts about using the proper email etiquette here:

• Use the virtual Breathalyzer Delay Function (BDF). If you write an email after having a few pints of Guinness or more than your share of a bottle of wine, have the BDF embargo your critical (and what you probably view as a literary masterpiece) note until the affects of the alcohol are gone and you’ve taken the time to re-read the note. You’ll probably decide to do considerable editing, including the possibility of totally trashing the note.
• Don’t use words of more than three syllables. First, they are hard to spell and you (and your reader) won’t necessarily agree on the meaning, so misinterpretations are likely...and disastrous. So stick with easy words.
• Assume everything you write will be forwarded to the place where it will cause the most embarrassment to you. Emails are not private, and someone in the chain is bound to forward the whole chain to a bunch of people, or mistakenly hit the “reply to all” function, and then you’re dead meat. Remember that email becomes part of the “permanent record,” and that fast-flying fingers foul future fortunes.
• Please get your grammar right. There are lots of folks out there who don’t know “hear” from “here,” “there” from “their,” “too” from “to” or “two,” so pay attention to grammar. Otherwise, your worldwide ranking in the succession pool or high-potentials roster may suffer dramatically.
• Don’t forget that we are an international community now, with messages being written and read by many non-native English speakers. Have sympathy, and minimize the use of local slang or idioms. Be sensitive to shifting definitions as you cross borders. Remember, the internet is a global community, and other people’s values and outlook on life may be different from your own. Be tolerant and careful with slang or phrases that may be misunderstood in another country.

These are all good things to think about and remember before hitting “send.” Thanks, Ed!

Au Revoir, Joe. To our regret, Joe Caldwell has announced that with this issue, he will have written his final Pipeline Safety Arena column. An expert without peer, Joe has helped keep readers and pipeline industry officials informed and up-to-date with the latest news and trends on pipeline safety regulations for more than 20 years. He was involved the creation of the Office of Pipeline Safety following passage of the Natural Gas Pipeline Safety Act of 1968, and continued to serve there in various positions until 1984. These included first serving as Acting Director in 1970, then later becoming First Director, remaining in that position until 1976. From 1976 to 1984, he served as Senior Advisor for pipelines and hazardous materials safety policy to the Secretary of Transportation.

After leaving the DOT in 1984, Joe began to provide consulting services to clients in the design, construction and operation of pipelines, environmental engineering and hazardous material/waste handling and clean-up. He also began to serve as a Washington, D.C., representative for companies that wished to monitor regulatory activities and identify potential business with federal agencies. He has also provided consulting services as an expert witness on pipeline safety regulations.

Joe tells us that after more than 20 years of consistently producing his pipeline safety column – on time and without fail, every issue – he has reached a point in life where he feels it is time to retire from writing, and devote more time to his consulting work and family. But, Joe reassures us that he is planning to remain active in the industry, so he will not be totally disappearing. He says he will continue to participate in events and conferences that deal with pipeline pigging and integrity monitoring; pipeline risk assessment, rehabilitation, and repair; pipeline personnel training; and pipeline geographic information systems. We hope to see you around, Joe. Thanks for all your help and good work, and best wishes!