What is e-mail?

e-mail, short for electronic mail is a store and

forward method of composing, sending, storing,
and receiving messages over electronic
communication systems. It is the quickest way
to send a letter.
The term e-mail is used both as a noun and a
verb.
e-mail is used by companies to deliver bulk
unsolicited messages, or "spam", but filter
programs exist which can automatically delete
some or most of these, depending on the
situation.
Format
Internet e-mail messages consist of two major
sections:
Header — Structured into fields such as summary,
sender, receiver, and other information about the e-
mail
Body — The message itself as unstructured text;
sometimes containing a signature block at the end

The header is separated from the body by a blank

line.
 The Header
The message header consists of fields, usually including
at least the following:
From: The e-mail address, and optionally the name of the
sender
To: The e-mail address [es], and optionally name [s] of the
message's recipient [s]
Subject: A brief summary of the contents of the message
Date: The local time and date when the message was
written
Note: The Sender’s/ Receiver’s address and Date are not
deliberately used as they are programmed into the
computer.
 Body
The body of the e-mail is written largely like a
formal/ informal letter depending on the purpose
and receiver.
However, in an informal e-mail you may use:
a) Short forms/ abbreviations
e.g. pl—please, U—You, r--are
b) Symbols
e.g. Smileys  or :), :( (to show joy/ sorrow)
 Why is email etiquette
important?
• We all interact with the printed word as
though it has a personality and that
personality makes positive and negative
impressions upon us.
• Your document can easily be misinterpreted
by your reader, so it is crucial that you follow
the basic rules of etiquette to construct an
appropriate tone.
Remember, an effective email is
• Complete • Makes One Point per Email
• Concise • Greeting/salutation
• Clear • Specifies the desired
response