Business Netiquette How to mind your manners when conducting business online.

In many ways, the Internet is like a Hollywood portrayal of theWild West: Occasionally, groups of outlaws ride through town, theirsix-shooters blazing, and no one wears the sheriff's badge.Most of us "townspeople" want to stay on the right sideof the law, but it's not easy--especially if the rules andregulations are not clearly spelled out. And until we get our factsstraight, the best way to conduct business online is to obey theGolden Rule: to treat others in the same way that we would want tobe treated.

This column is the first of two devoted to Internet etiquette,ethics and law. This month's column discusses how smallbusinesses can communicate effectively online using"Netiquette" (short for Internet etiquette), the set ofinformal rules that governs online communications. Next month'scolumn will cover the laws of the Internet, including privacy andintellectual property.

E-Mail Etiquette

You must put as much thought into online communications as youdo other forms of communication to make sure your messages arereceived in the manner you intended. It's much easier whenyou're communicating with someone in person, because you canuse gestures and vocal inflections to reinforce your message. Moreimportant, you can gauge your listener's body language andfacial expressions and almost instantaneously clarifymisunderstandings by changing a few words.

Online communication is a bit more challenging. You'll needto be sure to get your message across properly the first time; thebest way to be sure you're not annoying potential customers isto learn these important rules to follow when sending e-mail:

• Use a mix of uppercase and lowercase characters. Anall-uppercase message is the online equivalent of shouting.

• Carefully check your spelling and grammar. If your e-mailprogram doesn't have a spelling checker, create your messagesin a word processing program that does. All your communicationsrepresent your business. A message full of misspellings and unclearsentences will convey to others that your work is equallysloppy.

• When you send a message to a customer or employee, assume thatothers will see it. You won't be notified if the receiverforwards your message to others. And if you forward a message toothers, be sure to give credit to the original author.

• Use a "signature file" so that those who receive yourmessage can quickly and easily determine where it came from. Youcan create and save the information you want to include-- usuallyyour company's name, address and telephone number. Then use amenu in your e-mail program to select the file you've justcreated. Then, every time you send an e-mail message, yoursignature file information will automatically appear at the end ofeach message you send. This way, too, customers who wish to beremoved from your mailing list can contact you easily.

• Make your messages as concise as possible and stick to a singlesubject. Long messages take time to transfer to yourrecipients' computers.

• Use the "subject line" on all your e-mail messages.This allows the message recipients to read the messages they deemimportant first, and will help remind you to limit each message yousend to a single subject.

• Be sure that e-mail is the appropriate forum for your message.Using e-mail to announce an upcoming sale is fine; using it to firean employee is not.

• Answer your e-mail. Don't leave customers hanging. If theydon't receive a response from you within a reasonable amount oftime, they will likely take their business elsewhere. If a largevolume of e-mail inquiries bogs down your ability to respondpromptly, ask your e-mail provider if it supports a feature called"auto-responding." This function sends an automatic formreply to everyone who sends you a message that answers commonlyasked questions, thanks them for their messages or posts whateverother information you want to include.

• Don't "spam" or send "junk e-mail."Spamming is the indiscriminate sending of messages to Usenetnewsgroups; junk e-mail is the term for sending unsolicitedmessages to multiple e-mail boxes.

Spamming and Junk E-Mail

Why is marketing through "direct mailings" to e-mailaddresses and newsgroups off limits? Much of the aversion to thiskind of commercial activity comes from the fact that the Internetoriginated as an academic and scientific habitat. While users ofthe Web are now much more diversified, the Web community stillexpresses distaste at what they call "crass commercialadvertising," according to Bryan Pfaffen-berger, author ofWorld Wide Web Bible (MIS:Press, $29.95, 800-288-2131).

Of course, companies all over the world are still finding thatthe Web is an excellent place to market their products. So how dothey do this without offending potential customers?

Jason Catlett, president of Junkbusters Corp. in Green Brook,New Jersey, maintains a Web site called Junkbusters, which containsa comprehensive collection of information about junk e-mail, junkmail and junk telemarketing. Catlett believes that small companiescan market online--as long as it's done within thebounds of "good behavior."

"The basic rules are: Don't spam, and don't postcommercial messages to newsgroups that have rules against thesetypes of messages," Catlett explains. "Mostnewsgroups--especially those that are moderated--post a messagecontaining regulations for those visiting and using thegroup."

Catlett says the best way to market on the Web is by gettingpeople to come to your Web site, instead of sending your message tothem. One of the best ways to attract potential customers to a siteis to give free information to those who visit. For example, youcan have a page of links related to your product or service. Ifyour company sells handcrafted furniture, you can link toinformation about types of wood. Or, if your company provideseditorial services, your site can link to online referencebooks.

"Rather than spamming, attract people to a commercial siteby giving away useful information," Catlett says. "Somecompanies react with, `If we give it away free, that's moneywe're not getting.' But many companies understand thatfree, useful stuff can be the best form of advertising. The trickis to find giveaways that are attractive to the kind of people whowould buy your goods or services."

Another way to successfully market online is to offer to e-mailpeople updates of the information you're providing on your Website.

"Because of the bad reputation of junk e-mail, we don'tthink that a good, honest business can effectively use e-mail formarketing," says Jeremy Moulton, who has operated The MoultonCompany, a computer training company in Columbia, Maryland, withhis father, Pete, for almost 20 years. The Moultons are also hostsof the Dial-A-Nerd radio show, which answers listeners'computer questions. The Moultons use a combination of humor andinformation on their Web site to attract potential customers fortheir training services. Their Web pages include transcripts fromtheir radio show, humorous top-10 lists, summaries of theirseminars and their professional credentials. "Companies canoffer to e-mail technical tips or newsletters to subscribers (thatis, those who register by filling out a form at a Web site), or askcustomers if they want to receive product updates," Jeremysays. "But the companies should always offer the option ofdiscontinuing the messages."

Online communication is still being pioneered, so--untilwe've laid down the laws that govern it--remember to mind yourmanners.

Polite Societies

Visit the following Web sites to explore Internet etiquetteissues that will help you set your company's standards:

• The Internet Engineering Task Force's Responsible Use ofthe Network Working Group is an organization of volunteers thathelps set Internet standards and guidelines. Its 13-page guideincludes policy statements from several organizations that overseethe Internet community. Called Requests for Comments (RFC) #1855,Netiquette Guidelines (http://www.dtcc.edu/cs/rfc1855.html ) is anetiquette guide for all Internet users.

• The Netiquette (nice.ethz.ch/Usenet/netiquette_engl.html) Website describes the proper manners for communicating in Usenetnewsgroups. Whether you're a novice or a veteran on theInternet, you'll be able to apply the principles listed on thisWeb site to all areas of Internet communications, including e-mailmessages and Web-site development.

• The Blacklist of Internet Advertisers (http://www-math.uni-paderborn.de/~axel/BL/) is dedicated to identifying and eliminating unsuitableadvertising from the Internet. Visit this site to learn hownot to behave. A black list of Netiquette offenders is justa part of this site; you can also learn how to deal with junke-mail and how your business can advertise properly on theInternet. The author includes links to newsgroups and Web pageslikewise devoted to setting standards for online advertising.

• Junkbusters Corp.'s Web site (http://www.junkbusters.com/ )contains information about all kinds of junk communications,including tips on how to thwart incoming junk e-mail andtelemarketing.

• Anyone doing business on the Internet will eventually have todecide how to effectively operate a worldwide enterprise online.Set forth by the U.S. Treasury Department, A Framework for GlobalElectronic Commerce (http://www.iitf.nist.gov/eleccomm/ecomm.htm) contains information on the financial, legal and taxation issuesof Internet sales.

Worth Reading

Rules of the Net: On-Line Operating Instructions for HumanBeings, by Gerald Van Der Leun and Thomas Mandel (Hyperion,$11.50, 800-759-0190), outlines the rules of conduct and etiquettefor communicating politely on the Internet.

Cyberwriting: How to Promote Your Product or Service Online(Without Being Flamed), by Joe Vitale (Amacom, $18.95,800-262-9699), details how to write effective e-mail sales messagesand advertisements, and how to market your products or servicesonline.

Sandra E. Eddy is the author of HTML in Plain English(MIS:Press, $16.95, 800-288-2131), Mastering Lotus SmartSuite 97for Windows 95 (Sybex, $39.99, 510-523-8233) and The GIFAnimator's Guide (MIS:Press, $39.95, 800-288-2131).