Comments on: #FridayFact: Writing Strong Emails Matters

By: Yibo Xu

Yibo Xu — Thu, 25 Jan 2018 04:41:49 +0000

This is another article that is talking about how to write an email. This time is how to write a strong email. I noticed that since there were two article that we already wrote about mentioned that how to write effectively. It is very important to say that an email with clear subject line and clear words to read is the way to write an email. In this article, I find something interesting is emoji. I use emoji a lot but just in text message or chatting online, I never try to use that in an email. I know different people have different understanding about the emoji. For example most of my friends use the smiling face as a provocation or some bad emotions. But my parents use these smiling faces just saying that they are happy. So it’s a good idea to not to use an emoji in an email unless I have known that the recipient knows what’s that means.

By: Tripp Agnor

Tripp Agnor — Tue, 23 Jan 2018 23:20:03 +0000

The most surprising thing about this article is the graphic given along with it. I was stunned to see that only 24% admitted to using their smartphones in a work environment and that only 4% use social media platforms in work. I just assumed that both those figures would be a lot higher in today’s world where individuals are obsessed with their phones and social media accounts. However, it does not surprise me that email is the most commonly used form of communication in the workplace. Anyone that has worked in a job that uses a lot of technology, or needs to access the internet in order to work will admit to using email, almost non-stop, throughout a workday. This is why it is imperative that individuals are very punctual with their email’s. In this article, it stressed how important the subject line is to an email, and I would agree that it is very important when composing an effective email. A strong subject line should be concise, direct, and only contain information that is absolutely necessary for the reader to understand what the email is generally about. Mastering this skill will make you a much better communicator to your colleagues in the workplace.

By: Zachary Cohen

Zachary Cohen — Sat, 20 Jan 2018 20:17:08 +0000

I agree with you on the significance of the subject line. In fact, I think I would consider it to be the most important part of amy email. When I’m reading through my email inbox, I would say that I delete at least half of my emails without reading anything other than the subject line. I think for most people, the subject of the email determines if they even open the email.

I also agree with your standpoint on putting emojis in an email. It seems highly unprofessional and distasteful. I think it’s okay to put an emoji in emails to friends and family, but not to anyone in a professional environment.

By: Benjamin A Beheydt

Benjamin A Beheydt — Sat, 20 Jan 2018 05:09:24 +0000

I see your point about how tech follows from work to the home. Now it’s hard to say that you left all of your files at work because you can always access them from home! The fact that the work place is saturated with technology is a clear indication that communication through that technology needs to be studied. Lessons on writing proper emails feels natural when you consider these statistics. The appreciation for these discussions grow with numbers.

By: Khang Lieu

Khang Lieu — Sat, 20 Jan 2018 04:58:55 +0000

I was surprised at the fact that 35% of the people surveyed said that the internet has increased the number of hours that they had to work. That’s a pretty big percentage of the workplace who’s has to work outside of work, and I’m curious on how companies compensate their employees for working more hours outside of work, especially those on hourly wages.

Email is definitely one of the most, if not the most, important tool in the workplace. 61% of the people said that email is very important to do their job, which is no surprise. Email is the best way to get a message out to a group of people or to one person. But with the development of workplace messaging apps such as Slack, I’m curious about the future of emails in the workplace. Do workplaces utilize both messaging applications and emails, or will email slowly become phased out in the future?

By: Cassie Bienert

Cassie Bienert — Sat, 20 Jan 2018 04:27:32 +0000

After reading your comment, I went back and looked at the figures and I think you’re right. I especially think social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn, represents a much higher percentage. In every career development class I have had at Virginia Tech, professors have stressed the importance of linkedin.

After that, I read the article you posted and I really liked it. It did mention that Productivity and Growth is tied to effective and efficient communication. I think if we listen to the advice in this article, communication in the workforce and at school will be more efficient, and thus more productive.

I want to highlight a rather shocking quote from your article: “Between 45 % and 47 % of current jobs could eventually be lost to automation, with 7 % of that job loss coming by the year 2025.” This figure is scary but it reveals the necessity of learning how to work with technology. Technology is quickly shaping the workforce; its imperative we use it to our advantage and learn how to properly and effectively communicate.

By: Cassie Bienert

Cassie Bienert — Sat, 20 Jan 2018 03:56:04 +0000

There is a lot of great and easy-to-follow advice packed into these tips. This article definitely follows what has been said in the last two posts – keep it “Short and Sweet.” This is why it is important to have strong subject lines, it is essentially an email’s “first impression.”

One thing I noticed specifically is that the article suggests 50 characters or less but this is not always the case. The previous infographic included an optimum word count for emails received on a mobile device; likewise, subject lines should also be adjusted. In this article (https://www.listrak.com/digital-marketing-automation/multichannel-marketing-solutions/mobile-marketing/subject-lines-for-mobile-devices.aspx) it reveals the word count for subject lines in the most popular smart phones. This is great if you know your recipient!
– iPhone = 35-38 characters portrait mode; 80 landscape mode.
– Galaxy S4 = 33 portrait mode; 72 landscape mode
– iPad: 39 characters both orientations
– iPhone 6+: 63 both orientations

That being said, its also important to notes that the email pre-header text shows up under the subject line. It is important that this pre header reinforces the subject and main message. The same tips presented here can be used for the pre-header text as well.

The most helpful tip for me was the point about the specificity of the subject line. I need to avoid using subejct lines that could “go on any email” and instead use words that tell the recipient exactly what to expect. The one thing I would caution with specificity is not making it too difficutl to search later. I know from experience it can be hard to find a message by seraching key words in the subject line, especially if you cant remember exactly what it said. So I think a subject line needs vague key words that convey its subject but also have specific words to make the message clear.

By: Jiayu Li

Jiayu Li — Sat, 20 Jan 2018 03:33:25 +0000

The subject of an email is indeed the most important part of an email. An email with an effective subject is more likely to be read. This is the most thorough summary of how to write an effective subject I have ever seen. I agree with all the tips presented but one. I don’t think emoji should be used on the subject for any professional emails. Writing a friend might be ok. But even if a most common emoji like smiling face appears on the subject, this might leave the impression to the reader that this email is not important.

By: Bryan Ngo

Bryan Ngo — Sat, 20 Jan 2018 03:25:54 +0000

Initially, I didn’t believe that emails are higher than the other choices in the graph due to the growth of social media in the past decade. Except, it makes sense. There is an informality when it comes to updates via Facebook or Twitter. I think that when people are in a work environment, they are keeping a level of professionalism. It makes sense to log onto your email to see messages needed for work rather than logging on Facebook to see a message from your coworker, but also a distracting dog-video on the newsfeed. We still get spam and phishing mails, but it is easy to differentiate those from important emails because they are sent to the spam folder.
I think that today’s post was helpful because the subject line is important to make sure your email is seen. It is the only thing the receiver sees before he or she opens it, thus; it needs to be of importance to the reader, otherwise they won’t open it. So, it should not sound like spam mail! Which is why using all caps or click baits are obnoxious and ineffective. Relating to this, I have had professors in the past whom mentioned in their syllabus to put the class name as the subject line or else the email will be sent to his spam folder.

By: Jade Thompson

Jade Thompson — Sat, 20 Jan 2018 03:12:41 +0000

I agree with the article that emails are an important part of the workplace. It’s how most people in workplace settings will communicate with one another. I was a bit surprised that the usage of cell phones and smartphones did not make it higher in the ranking however. I would assume that that would be second on the list because we use them for some many things already. It would take no time at all to send someone a message through text. Though I guess if this is in a professional setting it would be lower on the bar graph.

In regards to writing a strong subject line to grab the reader’s attention in a email, I think the tips given are good except for the emojis. If this is a professional workplace we’re talking about I don’t know if having emojis in your subject line at all would be considered professional.