Dennis Kennedy

Tom Mighell and I have recorded another episode of The Kennedy-Mighell Report podcast and it's now available on the Legal Talk Network and on iTunes. The episode is called "Email Etiquette 2.0" and here's the description:

As the way we use and respond to email has evolved, has traditional email “etiquette” changed too? On this edition of the Kennedy-Mighell Report, co-hosts Dennis Kennedy and Tom Mighell take a look at the “Email Golden Rule” and come up with some new guidelines to improve your email experience, and the experience of anyone who receives a message from you. In the Q & A segment, Dennis and Tom will answer audience questions and wrap up with Parting Shots, leaving you with lasting tips and observations.

In the episode, Tom and I talk about whether the evolution of email and our use of email has led to changes in what is accepted and advisable email etiquette. You can take a look at my early article "Ten Habits of Highly Effective Emailers" for good list of standard email etiquette. It's interesting to see how much of the article is still valid and how times have changed.

My premise is that email etiquette needs to involve and, to an extent, is evolving toward a more dynamic, recipient-focused approach with you as sender taking a more active role in the email recipient's email experience. The podcast expands on that point.

A few of the email etiquette points we mention:

Email is just one communication channel - choose email for what's right for email channel

Think about where and on what device your recipient will receive the email.

You really want to be smart about using subject lines

- No reply necessary and EOM subject lines

If you will be delayed in a response, let people know - it's OK. Is the best reply sometimes no reply

Be careful with attachments

Why are you cc'ing people?

Use bullet points and formatting to get your main points across to people who only scan emails

BlackBerry/iPhone etiquette (possibly a topic for a whole podcast)

Don't subscribe me to your email newsletter just because I followed you on Twitter, added you as a connection on LinkedIn or gave you my business card.

Our last point was an attempt to summarize the new email etiquette with something we informally called the "Email Golden Rule." It says: Email to others as you would have them email to you." That's my guiding principle for email etiquette 2.0.

There's a good chance that Tom and I will turn the content of this podcast into an article in the near future.

We also take on a question from our audience on whether the "walled garden" approach to legal publications will continue or whether we'll see a move toward more open, free and ungated law-related content from legal publishers. Remember, you can contact me anytime with a question that might use for this segment of our podcast.

In my "parting shot" (useful tip), I mention how much I like the Secunia Personal Software Inspector as a way to make sure that you have applied all of the latest security patches and updates for the software you use.

Give our new episode a listen and let me know what you think.

A special thanks to our ace production team at the Legal Talk Network who were able to work around technical glitches from Tom and me (mine was the more serious one).

And try some of the back episodes as well.

[Originally posted on DennisKennedy.Blog (http://www.denniskennedy.com/blog/)]

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Now Available! The Lawyer's Guide to Collaboration Tools and Technologies: Smart Ways to Work Together, by Dennis Kennedy and Tom Mighell. Visit the companion website for the book at LawyersGuidetoCollaboration.com. Twitter: @collabtools

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