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Small Business
Tips on efficient e-mail use
By Jane Applegate April 28, 2000: 3:28 p.m. ET

E-signature, concise messages turn e-mail from curse to blessing
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NEW YORK (CNNfn) - E-mail can be a blessing or a curse. Used properly, e-mail can move projects along and save you hours on the telephone. Used poorly, it can ruin your life and create enormous confusion.

Always add a personalized signature to your e-mail. The signature includes your full name, mailing address, phone numbers and Web site. Most e-mail programs allow you to easily add a signature and have a feature to disable it if you prefer not to release that much information. 

Keep your e-mail messages as short as possible. It's tempting to write long, detailed messages, but no one wants to scroll through three screens to get to the point.

graphicUse bullet points to speed things along.

Send copies of messages only to people that must absolutely receive a copy. There are millions of superfluous messages floating around cyberspace every day. 

(Jane Applegate, a syndicated columnist and author of 201 Great Ideas for Your Small Business, covers small business for CNNfn.) Back to top

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