The rules and customs of cyberspace have joined those of Miss Manners. Although the rules of "Netiquette" are less formal than those of sending or faxing letters, there are many dos and don'ts especially when dealing with the media.
PR practitioners need to follow email etiquette -simple principles of courtesy and propriety --to get the most out of their media relations.
While the ultimate aux pas is "spamming" --the sending of junk email to advertise a commercial venture --sending bulk press releases are also unwelcome.
"If a journalist's email address is public knowledge then by all means send him/her email press releases," said Daniel Dern is an independent Internet analyst in Newton Center, Massachusetts and author of "The Internet Guide For New Users" published by McGraw-Hill. "As a journalist you put yourself as an information gathering position and therefore expect people to send you information."
However, Dern cautions when sending mass email press releases. On average, journalists receive about 50 messages a day so the most targeted ones will be read.
"Make sure that the information is pertinent to the writer's beat," said Dern. "Most journalists hate to get "junk" email."
Here are some basic rules of thumb for media relations netiquette:
1. Treat email as business correspondence.
When you're jotting a quick message on your computer screen, you should be brisk and brief in your writing, said Bob Jamison, web consultant at the University of Washington in Seattle.
"That's perfectly acceptable in the world of email," said Jamison. "Remember, though, that email messages are still nothing more and nothing less than business memoranda or letters. The basic rules of form and style that you would use in a business communication will also apply to an email." Most experienced email users schedule one or more sessions during each day specifically to respond to email messages. Of course, it may be difficult to schedule frequent periods of your day to respond to email. So, at least answer it as frequently as you answer written correspondence.
2. Never put a journalist on a mailing list without asking.
"This is a very important rule to keep in mind," said Dern. "Many times PR people will sign you up for a mailing list and then say if you do not want to be on it to cancel it. Wrong." The best thing to do is to send a short email asking the reporter if she or he is interested and then only put them on it if they request it.
3. Investigate filtering software.
If you receive large numbers of email messages, look into filtering or "text analysis" software. This state-of-the-art software categorizes email messages by the name of the recipient, the subject of the message, or key words in the text. Filtering software can make email more efficient, and isolate high-priority information for easy retrieval.
You can use some of the automation tools built into popular email packages such as Microsoft Exchange, Lotus cc:Mail, and Qualcomm's Eudora to help manage your email. These tools include filters or rules that automatically sort your messages into appropriate folders, based on the contents of the message or the identity of the originator.
For example, if you get lots of mail from certain reporters, you can set up a folder called "NY Times reporter" where these messages will automatically collect.
Also, you might consider using other options such as the highlighting feature of Eudora, which changes email color, for important messages.
4. Always Send Press Releases in ASCII.
"More than half of the press releases I get are hard to read or unreadable," said Dern. "Send a CC to yourself to make sure your press release is clean."
Also, some email systems don't handle attachments well or at all. The best strategy when sending mail is to avoid attaching any files until you have established that your media correspondent can receive and read them.
5. Write clear and effective subject lines.
A press release should be identified as such, said Dern, not cleverly disguised as a friendly note. The subject of the release as well as a contact email address should accompany all correspondence. In general, when journalists do not recognize the sender, the priority level is slipped down a notch --so try to have contact with journalists but in a positive and helpful manner.
6. Remember that email is not entirey private. Coworkers, managers and others may have the opportunity to read your mail, so items that are overly personal should probably not be committed to your computer network. Also avoid gossip or remarks about other individuals, or discussion of proprietary information when using e-mail. (U. of Washington, 206/543-5970; Dern,617/968-7947).