Tech View John Agsalud

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How to avoid coming off as an ‘E-Mail Tough Guy’

As we've seen through time, advents in technology often induce unforeseen circumstances. The proliferation of non-native invasive species aided by modern transportation, the inclusion of unhealthy chemicals such as trans-fatty acids into food to make them last longer and taste better, the list goes on and on.

One of the many by-products of the proliferation of the Internet has been a phenomenon widely known as the Internet Tough Guy (ITG).

Anyone who's frequented message boards, knowledge bases, or even social sites has encountered this person. We all know him (and sometimes her) as a person who claims extraordinary skill, intelligence, strength, or other superior attributes.

Question the ITG and you are barraged with insults, challenges and a myriad of unsupportable claims.

The ITG hides behind a veil of anonymity, thereby enabling such behavior.

It's easy enough to ignore the ITG in most situations. However, the ITG has a fraternal twin in the E-mail Tough Guy (ETG).

The ETG is nice, mild mannered, and agreeable when you're talking face to face or even on the phone, but once he's out of range, the toughness shows up.

Behavioral experts debate the cause of the ETG syndrome. Some call it passive-aggressive behavior, while others liken it to simply emulating a farm animal. No matter the cause, you should avoid being "that person," especially in business-related emails.

Here are some tips to remember on how to avoid coming off as an ETG:

» First and foremost, imagine that you are talking to the person face to face. Use similar words and phrases that you would if you were speaking directly to the recipient.

Remember that it is difficult to express emotion via the written word.

» If you tell an associate, "What, are you crazy?" with a huge grin on your face, it is easily conveyed as less than serious. So just stick to the facts.

» If you feel you have to insert a "smiley face" or other emoticon, edit or eliminate the potentially offensive or unclear phrase or sentence.

» If you are by nature a gregarious person, it might be appropriate to preface your email with, "I'll just stick to the facts." This helps to fend off the appearance of grumpiness.

» Don't' forget that e-mails have a tendency to live forever. Although many organization's e-mail policies call for regular purging of e-mail off of its servers, this doesn't prevent folks from saving e-mails to their local hard drives.

Keep this in mind as you compose your message.

Someone reading your message a year or two from now might have no idea what your relationship was like with his or her predecessor.

Also, despite the best efforts of e-mail software vendors, you have almost no ability to recall a message once it's sent.