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A colleague once asked me for help, and then almost immediately sent a follow-up informing me she had solved the problem on her own.

But before reading her second message, I replied at length to the first. Once I learned that there was no need for any reply, I worried that my response would seem pompous, so I followed up with a quick apology:

"Should have paid closer attention to my e-mail."

What I meant to say was "[I] should have looked more carefully at my [list of incoming] e-mail [before replying]," but I could tell from my colleague's terse reply that she had interpreted it as if I was criticizing her.

--Writing Effective E-Mail: Top 10 Tips

I remember reading somewhere that your tone of voice is responsible for about thirty-eight percent of communication. Fifty-five percent is body language. That leaves just seven percent for the power of the words alone. Seven percent! When we're typing e-mails, we force that seven percent to become the whole hundred. When you think about it that way, every forum is a lit stick of dynamite that could explode into a flame war at any moment. 

The Writing Effective E-Mail essay makes great points, and it all boils down to this: Be clear, be meaningful, be courteous, and be careful. Internet fights or misunderstandings can be worse than "real-life" ones, because typed words can last forever. Even if you're not dealing with something as serious as a perceived insult, there's no harm in behaving professionally.

If you're on the receiving end of a hasty e-mail, the rules still apply. Honestly, who wants a fight? Chances are, you'll just wind up making yourself look stupid. A moment of caution can prevent hours of flaming.

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