What is an Email

Short for electronic mail, e-mail or email is information stored on a computer that is
exchanged between two users over telecommunications. More plainly, e-mail is a message
that may contain text, files, images, or other attachments sent through a network to a
specified individual or group of individuals.

Origin of email
Scientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) developed a program called
Mailbox that enabled the exchange of messages between time-sharing computers within one
lab. In 1972, Raymond Samuel Tomlinson, a developer at Bolt, Beranek and Newman -- now
BBN Technologies -- implemented the first email program on the Advanced Research
Projects Agency Network (ARPANET), the precursor to the internet. Tomlinson designed a
messaging program for use on the PDP-10 computer consisting of two individual programs,
SNDMSG for sending mail and READMAIL for retrieving mail.

How to send and receive e-mail

E-mail program
To send and receive e-mail messages, you can use an e-mail program, also known as an e-
mail client, such as Microsoft Outlook or Mozilla Thunderbird. When using an e-mail client,
a server that stores and delivers your messages is used. This server is often hosted by your
ISP, but can be another Internet company. An e-mail client needs to connect to a server to
download new e-mail, whereas e-mail stored online is always available to any Internet-
connected device. For more information about cloud e-mail service, see the difference
between webmail and an e-mail client, below.

Online e-mail
An alternative way of sending and receiving e-mail (and the more popular solution for most
people) is an online e-mail service or webmail. Examples include Hotmail (now
Outlook.com), Gmail, and Yahoo Mail. Many of the online e-mail services, including the
ones we mentioned, are free or have a free account option.

How to create an e-mail account.

Note: An e-mail service will not provide you with an Internet connection. You'll still need to
use an ISP to connect to the Internet to use the e-mail service.

By,
Virginia Dias,
Asst. Professor
Writing an e-mail
✓ When writing an e-mail message, it should look something like the example window
below. As you can see, several fields are required when sending an e-mail:
✓ The To field is where the e-mail address of the person receiving the e-mail is placed.
✓ The From field should contain your e-mail address.
✓ If you are replying to a message, the To: and From: fields are automatically filled out.
If it's a new message, you'll need to specify the recipients in the To: field by selecting
them from your contact list or by typing the e-mail addresses. If you enter more than
one recipient (e.g., group e-mail), the addresses should be separated by a comma and
a space, or by pressing the Tab.
✓ The Subject should consist of a few words describing the e-mail's contents. The
subject lets the recipient see what the e-mail is about, without opening and reading the
full e-mail. This field is optional.
✓ The CC ("Carbon Copy") field allows you to specify recipients who are not direct
addressees (listed in the "To" field). For instance, you can address an e-mail to Jeff
and CC Linda and Steven. Although the e-mail is addressed to Jeff, Linda and Steven
also receive a copy and everyone can see who received the e-mail. This field is
optional.
✓ The BCC ("blind carbon copy") field is similar to CC, except the recipients are secret.
Each BCC recipient will receive the e-mail, but will not see who else received a copy.
The addressees (anyone listed in the "To" field) remain visible to all recipients. This
field is optional.
✓ Finally, the Message Body is the location you type your main message. It often
contains your signature at the bottom; similar to a handwritten letter.

What makes a valid e-mail address?

➢ The following rules make an e-mail address valid:
➢ As mentioned earlier, an e-mail must have a username followed by @ (the at sign),
followed by the domain name with a domain suffix.
➢ The username cannot be longer than 64 characters long, and the domain name cannot
be longer than 254 characters.
➢ There should be only one @ sign in an e-mail address.
➢ The space and special characters: ( ) , : ; < > \ [ ] are allowed. Occasionally, a space,
backslash, and quotation mark work but must be preceded with a forward slash.
Although valid, some e-mail providers do not allow these characters.
➢ The username and e-mail addresses as a whole cannot begin or end with a period.
➢ The e-mail must not have two or more consecutive periods.

Advantages of e-mail
There are many advantages of e-mail and the usage of e-mail versus postal mail. Some of the
main advantages are listed below.

By,
Virginia Dias,
Asst. Professor
 ❖ Free delivery - Sending an e-mail is virtually free, outside the cost of Internet service.
There is no need to buy a postage stamp to send a letter.
❖ Global delivery - E-mail can be sent to nearly anywhere around the world, to any
country.
❖ Instant delivery - An e-mail can be instantly sent and received by the recipient over
the Internet.
❖ File attachment - An e-mail can include one or more file attachments, allowing a
person to send documents, pictures, or other files with an e-mail.
❖ Long-term storage - E-mails are stored electronically, which allows for storage and
archival over long periods of time.
❖ Environmentally friendly - Sending an e-mail does not require paper (paperless),
cardboard, or packing tape, conserving paper resources.
❖ Emails can be sent 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
❖ Emails can be sent and received from any computer, anywhere in the world, that has an
Internet connection.
❖ It is cheaper than traditional mail system.
❖ Emails can be sent to one person or several people at once.
❖ There is always a record of the exact conversation in an email until deleted.
❖ People don't have to be present to receive the email.
❖ Messages can be encrypted making it possible to send confidential information.
❖ It is versatile. Messages, photos, videos etc can be sent easily and not need to pay extra
charge as in postal mail.

Disadvantages of Email:
❖ The recipient needs access to the Internet to receive email.
❖ Viruses are easily spread via email attachments.
❖ Email is used for phishing. (sending an email to a user falsely claiming to be a legitimate
company to scam the user into providing information, such as personal information and
bank account numbers on a bogus website. The details will then be used for identity
theft.)
❖ Minor mistake can deliver the email to wrong address.
❖ No guarantee the mail will be read until the user logs on and checks their email.

What can be sent in an e-mail?

In addition to text messages being sent over e-mail, it is also possible to attach a file or other
data in an e-mail. For example, an attachment could be a picture, PDF, word processor
document, movie, program, or any file stored on your computer. However, because of some
security issues, it may not be possible to send certain types of files without additional steps.
For example, many companies block .exe files from being sent over e-mail and would require
you to compress the file into a .zip file. Also, most e-mail providers have file size restrictions
that would prevent any large files or programs from being sent over e-mail
By,
Virginia Dias,
Asst. Professor
 Email Netiquette
❖ When composing an email message, it is important to use good netiquette. For
example, you should always include a subject that summarizes the topic of the email.
❖ It is also helpful to begin each message with the recipient's name and end the message
with your name or "signature."
❖ A typical signature includes your name, email address, and/or website URL. A
professional signature may include your company name and title as well.
❖ Most email programs allow you to save multiple signatures, which you can insert at
the bottom of an email.
❖ If you want to send an email to multiple recipients, you can simply add each email
address to the "To" field. However, if the email is primarily intended for one person,
you should place the additional addresses in the "CC" (carbon copy) field.
❖ If you are sending an email to multiple people that don't know each other, it is best to
use the "Bcc" (blind carbon copy) field. This hides the email addresses of each
recipient, which helps prevent spam.
❖ NOTE: Email was originally written "e-mail," but is now more commonly written as
"email" without the dash.

FORMAL EMALING

It is extremely necessary to know how to write a formal email when you begin your
professional career.

Email Format
Let us look at these important steps to follow to get the format of a formal email right.

1. Subject line
The first part of an email which your recipient sees is the subject of the email.
So, getting the subject line on point is the first important thing to consider when you
have to write a formal email. Here are some things to keep in mind:

✓ Make the subject line specific, simple, and to the point. For example, instead
of 'The internship report you asked for', write, 'Internship Report,
{date/week/month}'.
✓ The subject line should be short. Ideally, your subject line should stand around
six words.
✓ Keep the most important and informative words in the beginning of the subject
line.
✓ Use markers like Fwd, Reply, Urgent, or Notice to further narrow down the
subject. It informs your reader about the nature of your email.
✓ Some of the examples of good subject lines when you write a formal email can
be:

By,
Virginia Dias,
Asst. Professor
 Marketing Data for July 2018
Marketing Budget, October 2018
List of New Freelancers
Job Application for the Post of XYZ
Leave Application
Query Regarding the Missing Information in the Document
Contract Agreement - XYZ Assignment

2. Salutation
✓ The next factor to get right when you write a formal email is it's salutation.
✓ Each email is directed towards someone. Start your formal email with
addressing the recipient in a manner fitting the relationship you have with
them.
✓ For people you are unfamiliar with or do not know the names of, use 'To
Whom It May Concern' or 'Dear sir/madam'.
✓ For senior officials, stick to their designation or follow it with their name, for
example, 'To the Manager', 'Dear Dr. Ghosh', or 'Dear Ms. Kapoor'.
✓ Among colleagues, it may be appropriate to simply precede the name with a
'Hi'.
✓ Do not skip the salutation and always be respectful. Never use nicknames or
just surnames or first names when you write a formal email.

3. Body of the email

✓ The body text is the main part when you write a formal email.
✓ It is important to follow a certain pattern to get the format of a formal email
uniform.
✓ The opening paragraph should set the tone and reason for your email.
Introduce yourself if you are a stranger to the person you are writing to, and
jot down why you are writing to them.
✓ For example, you can begin with 'My name is Abc, and this email is with
reference to Xyz.' or 'This is with reference to the marketing budget as
discussed in the meeting.'
✓ Elaborate on your concern, question, or response as comprehensively as
possible. Write in a way that is easy to understand, but at the same time, do
not lose your point in providing unnecessary information. Say only what is
required.
✓ The closing of the email should also support the nature and format of a formal
email. If you are asking a question, close with something like 'Hope to have an
answer from you soon', or 'Looking forward to hearing from you soon', and if
you are addressing a question, end with 'Hope I have sufficiently answered
your query/doubts.'

4. Signature
✓ These are the last words when you write a formal email and is capable of
forming a lasting impression on your reader.

By,
Virginia Dias,
Asst. Professor
 ✓ Sign off with a simple word or phrase, which conveys respect. Safe choices
are 'Best regards', 'Warmly', 'Sincerely', 'Kind regards', or simply 'Thanks'.
✓ If you are writing to someone for the first time or someone who is not an
immediate colleague or senior, use your full name.
✓ Furnish your name with contact information. Your phone number and/or work
address are enough.
✓ If you are writing on behalf of or as an employee of an institution, make sure
to mention it along with adequate contact details
✓ To make your signature even more effective, you may also choose or design
an attractive (but not flashy) template.
✓ Tip: Stay abreast and do not use outdated format of a formal email. There is no
need to write a date when using electronic modes of communication. Keep all
your text left-aligned when you write a formal email.

Formal Email Samples

Formal emails are sent in a whole variety of situations. While they use the same rules,
they may have to be modified according to their purpose.
Now that you are familiar with the format of a formal email, let us have a look at a
few formal email samples.

Email sample 1: A request

Subject: Extension on Report Deadline

Dear Mr./Ms. {Recipient’s sir name},

I am writing this to request you for an extension on the XYZ project report which is
due on {date}. My mother has taken ill unexpectedly, and I must leave for home
tonight. I’m afraid it will take me a week before I can return to the office and
complete the report.
Kindly grant me an extension till {date} for the same. I promise to deliver the project
report by then.

Sincerely,
{Your name}
{Phone number}

Tip: Always state your request as clearly as possible, and supply it with a legitimate
reason to make your case stronger.
Click here to download this formal email sample 1.
One of the common request letters is a leave application letter. Check out these leave
application samples for office for some help with them.

By,
Virginia Dias,
Asst. Professor
Email sample 2: A question
Subject: Enquiry about Conference Centre Timings

Dear sir/madam,

I am writing to enquire about the timings for the conference centre at {place}. Our
company is hosting a delegation from {place} and is interested in booking the centre
for an important corporate event on {date}. I checked your website but could not find
the information I require.

If you could kindly send across the timings when the conference centre is available,
we can design an itinerary at the earliest and share the schedule with you to initiate
the booking procedure.

Looking forward to an early response.

Thanks,
{Your name}
{Phone nmber}
{Designation, company}

Tip: Formal emails often use indirect questions instead of direct ones (for instance,
This is an enquiry about the timings..., instead of, What are the timings for...?).

Email sample 3: A complaint

Subject: Complaint against Gender Discrimination in the Office

Dear Mr./Ms. {Recipient’s name}

This is to bring to your notice an instance of discrimination on the basis of gender in
the office. I was due for a meeting with {name, department} this month, and was
surprised to see that I was dropped from the plan at the last minute. In a conversation
with {name of offending person} on {date} about it, I was told that the move was
taken because they did not feel I would land the deal as a woman and that “it was best
left to the men”.

I have worked tirelessly in {Name of Company} for the last {Time Period}. Given the
reputation of {Name of Company} as a female-friendly and discrimination-free
workplace, and I am appalled at being treated like this.

I have previously raised this issue privately with {name of offending person} but
failed to receive an apology or a satisfactory response. I wish to pursue this further
with this official complaint and come to a swift and fitting solution with the help of
Human Resources and other members of Management.

Hoping to see this matter dealt with at the earliest,

{Your name}

By,
Virginia Dias,
Asst. Professor
{Phone number}

Tip: Formal complaints should be strongly worded, but without losing the tone of
professionalism. While putting down your grievances, make sure your email does not
end up looking dramatic or undignified. It is important to state the issues or events
causing offence as clearly as possible, but also in brief when you write a formal email.

Email sample 4: A response to a query/complaint

Subject: Response to complaint dated {date}

Dear {Name of Complainant},

I would like to apologize for the disappointment caused to you on behalf of the
company. I assure you that your complaint has been forwarded to the concerned
department and strict action is being taken to rectify the situation.

Your satisfaction with our services and your feedback as a client are of the utmost
importance to us. I would be happy to answer any further queries while we look into
this matter.

Thank you for your patience.

Best regards,
{Your name}
{Phone number}
{Designation}

Tip: Always keep your tone friendly and reassuring when dealing with complaints and
grievances. At no point in your email, should you attack the sender with any counter-
questions or lose the attitude of formality.

Email sample 5: An announcement or statement

Subject: New member in the team!

Dear all,
I am glad to introduce you to {name of person}, who will be assisting us as an intern
for the next 6 months. He is a third-year Economics student at {name of institution},
and is excited about joining the team.

I hope to see you all welcome him into the office and provide him with your help and
feedback wherever necessary.

Fond regards,
{Your name}

Tip: Convey happiness or excitement in formal emails only with words and
appropriate amounts of punctuation, like the occasional exclamation point.

By,
Virginia Dias,
Asst. Professor