Just because e-mail is an everyday part of life in the office doesnt mean its something you dont have to think carefully about. 因为用工作邮箱接收和发送一些不怀好意的或是不合适的信件可能导致各种不堪设想的后果。
Of course, your email gaffes1 (出丑) are most likely not going to turn you into a global laughingstock. But office email, when used improperly2, can undermine your efforts to get ahead in your career. Following are some tips to help you use email to your advantage rather than detriment3.
1. Keep it short and sweet. Email is not a form of communication that lends itself to long missives (信件). If you do send a long e-mail--if you send a product description to a potential client, for instance, or if you send a clarification of departmental policy to your colleagues - make sure you go over the details in person as well as in your email, since relying on your email to communicate all the details often fails. 切记，信的内容一定要分段。读者们可以忍受长长的信件，但没人爱理会那些内容混乱成一团的信。
2. Avoid discussing sensitive information. Despite the seeming harmlessness of email, it is not really private. Its way too simple for the recipient4 of your email to forward it to others. And remember that your company can access any email going into or out of your account. Rule number one for emailing sensitive information: 假定你的邮件会被既定接收者以外的任何一个人收到。
Another reason to avoid including sensitive information in e-mail is that you might change your mind about whether you want to let that information be known. Michael Eisner, for instance, once sent financial information about Disney to journalists without realizing it had not yet been publicly released. Rule number two for emailing sensitive information: 三思之后再决定要不要发送。
3. Know when to use email, and when to have a discussion in person or over the phone.
These days people like to use email for all kinds of purposes for which it is usually not ideal. If you want to brainstorm5, or to manage or critique others, its usually best to do so in person - or, failing that, over the phone.
There are a number of reasons for this. For one thing, email does not communicate unspoken nuances the way personal communication does. For another, people are often not as present when they read email as they are in a real-time meeting.
扩展：找工作要独辟蹊径
当索尼公司被问到成功之道时，Chairman Akio Morita said, We never follow. We do what others dont. Thats the essence of marketing1: going where others dont! 对于找工作的茫茫大众来说，这一招也是有用的。
Most job-hunters confine themselves to traditional approaches like answering want ads (招聘广告) and working with recruiters. Thats fine, but thats where your competition goes too.
Anyone who tries something new and different--but not idiotic--will have a big advantage. Few job hunters write to career consultants2, conference attendees, media people, and venture capitalists. 你也可以试一试。
Listen to the radio, read newspapers and watch television for items in your interest area. The media are in the information business. They are accustomed to trading ideas so dont be afraid to approach them. Write to business people featured in stories. Write to editors. Contact journalists whove written articles. 不要担心会出丑。送出去这封信你不会少什么，却有可能收获一份好工作。
Dont be afraid to do what others dont. 当然，傻事就不要做了。
