Essential Email Best Practices for the FSU Community
Whether you're an FSU student, faculty or staff member, email is a crucial part of your daily routine. In today's digital age, it is essential to maintain professionalism and adhere to best practices when using email. Here are some tips and tricks to keep in mind before you press "Send."
- To reply or reply all?
When crafting a response to an email chain, consider whether to "Reply" or "Reply All." Use "Reply" if you intend to email a specific person, or "Reply All" if you want to email everyone on the thread. Use this feature to streamline communication and prevent unnecessary inbox clutter for others.
- Don’t share personal information
This may seem obvious but avoid sharing personal information in an email. Your Social Security number, personal phone number and credit card number are just a few examples of highly sensitive information that a hacker could exploit in the event of an email breach.
- Use the “Rule” feature
A “Rule” in Outlook can help you navigate your email swiftly. The easiest way to set a rule in Outlook is to go to the “Home” tab, click on "Rules" and select "Manage Rules and Alerts." In the Rules and Alerts box, click "New Rule" and follow the steps in the Rules Wizard to specify the conditions and actions for your rule. Select "Finish" to apply the rule.
- Create subfolders
To manage multiple emails efficiently, creating subfolders in Outlook can be beneficial. Simply right-click on "Inbox," choose "Create new subfolder," and name your folder according to your organization needs, such as class or work emails. This allows you to categorize and access your emails more easily for future reference.
- Never respond to an email you suspect is spam
Spam emails, also known as phishing emails, are a common tactic that hackers attempt to use to access your email. Spam emails typically have grammatical errors, poor grammar and come from an unknown email source. In the event your email may have received a phishing email, visit the ITS Phish Tank for more information about how to report and identify common phishes.
These are just a few of the email practices you can use to ensure your email experience goes off without a hitch and to keep your information protected.
