Email is More than Just SEND!

There are plenty of people on the net these days, claiming that they are pretty good at sending and receiving E-mail. The real facts are that few people really use the medium effectively.

Most communications are made by either sending a response to a message, or deleting a message when completed. Although this accomplishes a basic communication exchange, neither really maximizes the versatile medium that E-mail provides. The technology that electronic messaging provides goes far beyond a simple exchange of information. Effective use of electronic communications offers a priceless opportunity to create an "on-line" presence. In addition, you are able to create a "digital" paper trail of information, while copying all parties to a conversation at the same time with one effortless communication exchange.

A sure way to accentuate a powerful global on-line digital presence is to incorporate a few "automated" steps to your E-mail messaging.

One of the first steps to get the most out of this new communication is the simplest to use, and the one that creates the biggest effect.

The "automated signature" function in your E-mail manager offers a built in "personal billboard" for you while communicating. You can always spot a newcomer to the digital game when you get an e-mail that doesn’t have a name at the end of the message, and quite possibly, an indication of whom it might be from.

In the digital world, anything that needs to be done more than once should be automated. When sending messages, you need to sign off on each response. By setting up an automatic signature, you can avoid the repetition of typing your own name in over and over again, while creating a far more impactful impression when a full presence is communicated beside your name.

Every time you respond to a message, you are in fact, publishing! Take advantage of the opportunity by showcasing yourself by including the following information every time you send a message.

Include your

                Full name,

Your Designations,

Your Company name and phone number with area code,

Your tag line or slogan

And most importantly, your E-mail and web site address at the end of your messages.

This "package" of information accomplishes several options:

• It creates a more professional conclusion to your messages
• It assists the receiver in knowing more about you and how to reach you other than digitally
• It "finishes" the message and makes it simple for the recipient to simply click on your E-mail address to return the message.

It is an easy step to "capture" your E-mail address to be added to their contact data manager and address book with out retyping and re-entering the information.

To automate your signature, work through the steps in your E-mail manager that is found in your browser. In the Microsoft Internet Explorer, the steps are fairly simple:

Click on Tools – the drop down menu will offer selections – choose Options – The next screen will offer a number of tabs, just like a folder. Click on the tab that offers "Mail Format" – Choose Signature – Then click on Signature Picker and type in the type of signature close that you would like to have automatically added to each and every message that leaves your mailbox.

Remember that you are publishing, and that the recipient may not readily have this information about you. Also keep in mind that as more people use address books and contact managers to reference this information, your E-mail address will have a global exposure. Begin building your E-mail presence in the powerful way possible. That is accomplished by owning your own domain, with your name as the center of your Internet presence. When you own your own domain, which is a fairly inexpensive option, you can control your e-mail more easily. You will no longer be tied to one Internet Service Provider, company or franchise. You will retain the freedom to pursue the fastest and most reliable Internet Service available without the risk of losing or changing your current E-mail address.

As the world embraces digital communication, changing your E-mail address when you change Internet Service Providers will be a global challenge! Having a permanent E-mail address from the very beginning is the safest way to start creating a worldwide digital presence.

So, the next time you sign off, you can just "click", and know that you are clicking off in confidence. You are assured that the recipient will be quite aware of who sent the correspondence, be able to respond immediately with a correct E-mail address, and know that you did it at the height of digital "high style" and top professionalism! I’ll be looking for the new "you" on-line!