Whether you're working in an office or planning an event with a handful of friends, it's easy for email threads to get out of hand, and even easier for replies to start looking messy and unwieldy, as replies cited above pile up.
It's especially bad when you're responding to a specific part of a mass email because other participants may not know what you're talking about without a little more context. This can also be a problem in ongoing one-on-one conversations, but to a lesser degree.
So here's a wonderful trick you can use the next time you reply to an email:highlight the text you want to reply to before clicking the Reply button .
Usually when you click Reply, your email client probably quotes everything from the email you're replying to and puts your reply on top of it. However, if you use the trick just mentioned, it will only quote the text that you highlighted, dramatically reducing the amount of clutter.
This feature is available in Apple Mail, Thunderbird, Postbox, and even the web version of Gmail, as long as you enable the Labs feature called "Quote Selected Text." Most Other Modern Email Clients Top 5 Desktop Email Clients That Don't Cost a Penny Top 5 Desktop Email Clients That Don't Cost a Penny Do you need a desktop email client to handle your incoming mail? Here are the best desktop email clients that you can use for free. Read More may also support this useful feature, but please let us know if there are any that don't.
And while we're at it, check out these rules for writing better emails. How Writing Amazing Emails Can Boost Your Career How Writing Amazing Emails Can Boost Your Career Sending professional emails gives an intangible boost to your online (and offline) reputation. The ultimate criterion for a witty email is whether you can land a job or land a gig with just one awesome email... Learn More and How to Create the Perfect Email Signature 7 Tips for Creating the Perfect Professional Email 7 Tips for creating the perfect professional email Signature We've written a lot about how to send email like a pro, but one aspect that often gets overlooked is the email signature. Here's how to set up the perfect professional email signature. Read more . Both can go a long way toward reducing your email anxiety. 5 Tips to End Your Email Send Anxiety 5 Tips to End Your Email Send Anxiety Internet etiquette can be a touchy subject, and while I don't consider myself the Miss Manners From the world wide web, I do my best to be courteous with the way I act online. Granted, I… Read More .
What are your best tips for email etiquette? What are your worst pet emails? How to deal with thread mess? Tell us in the comments.!
