E-mail Etiquette: 8 Tips to Avoid Communication Blunders

E-mail Etiquette: 8 Tips to Avoid Communication Blunders

Before you dash off another sloppy e-mail, remember:
Your e-mail speaks volumes about your communication skills and you as a person.
Consider these eight guidelines for effective e-mail writing, shared by an e-mail etiquette expert.

CIO - Think e-mail writers have become more effective and polite in the last decade?
Maureen Bertolo begs to differ. Not only do the dreaded "reply all" and SHOUT e-mail blunders persist,
but also, Twitter and texting are making e-mail manners worse, says Bertolo, who began her career as a computer programmer and has been teaching e-mail etiquette classes for 10 years.
Unfortunately, she says, people express the same questions and complaints about e-mail in the seminars she teaches today on behalf of her employer, CAI Inc., that they had a decade ago.
Chief among those complaints: "E-mails are too long!" and "Why do I get so many of them?!"
The persistent problem with e-mail, according to Bertolo: people over-rely on it and
use it to accomplish tasks for which it's completely ineffective, such as to explain complex procedures, solve complicated problems and air grievances. E-mail has become such an integral and easy part of the way people work and communicate that they take it for granted and neglect to think about more effective alternatives for communicating. They also want documentation to cover themselves, says Bertolo.

Now, she adds, texting and Twitter are dumbing down e-mail even more. "Texting is starting to override e-mail because it's easier," says Bertolo. "You don't have to worry about spelling, grammar, a salutation. Because texting is faster, people think it doesn't have to be as professional."

In the age of texting and tweeting, some might argue that Bertolo's rules for e-mail etiquette are out of touch with the way people communicate and the needs of global businesses. But Bertolo's standards have the sender's

original posting http://www.cio.com/article/594267/E_mail_Etiquette_8_Tips_to_Avoid_Communication_Blunders

Thank you,
Thomas Ieracitano
Thomas@Ieracitano.com
www.DigitalCarGuy.com
(229) 251-2462

P.S. Are you 'Advertising' or 'Marketing' ?

Ask me the Difference?

Mr. Studmuffin

Mr. Studmuffin  You have to watch the guy on the left, NOT THE GIRL!!      I loved this..!   Hope you had a good laugh,  I know I did !

bear hunters

These bear hunters were sitting around the cabin the night before the
hunt bragging about their pass hunts.

The cabin boy was listening and went over and said "you guys make it
seam pretty hard on capturing a bear".

They all laughed and said "it is hard; do you think you could bag one"?

"I can go out and bag you 2 if you will skin them, and I will bet each
of you $100.00.

They agreed and off he went out into the night.

Soon he spotted a big grizzly; he waved his arm and started hollering
the big bear started after him and he started running for the shack.
When he got close to the shack he started yelling. "Open the door he
yelled".

They looked out and saw the bear chasing the boy. Just as he got to the
door they opened it and he stepped aside and the bear went in. He
slammed the door and locked it and shouted. "OK skin him I'll go and get
the other one".

YouTube - 2011 Shelby GT500 at Virginia International Raceway Grand West Course

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aR7PIZhFUdc&feature=uploademail

Thank you,
Thomas Ieracitano
Thomas@Ieracitano.com
www.DigitalCarGuy.com
(229) 251-2462

P.S. Are you 'Advertising' or 'Marketing' ?

Ask me the Difference?

A Cardiologist's Funeral :)

A Cardiologist's Funeral

A very prestigious cardiologist died, and was given a very elaborate
funeral by the hospital he worked for most of his life. A huge heart
covered in flowers stood behind the casket during the service as all the
doctors from the hospital sat in awe.

Following the eulogy, the heart opened, and the casket rolled inside.
The heart then closed, sealing the doctor in the beautiful heart
forever.

At that point, one of the mourners just burst into laughter. When all
eyes stared at him, he said, 'I am so sorry, I was just thinking of my
own funeral... I'm a gynecologist.'

The proctologist fainted

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Anxious to see how you handle this email

this has been around before - but it is so powerful, that it should be
read again.
Worth the read again. Thank you friends!!
Let's see if you send it back. We all know or knew someone like this!!

One day, when I was a freshman in high school,
I saw a kid from my class was walking home from school.
His name was Kyle.
It looked like he was carrying all of his books.
I thought to myself, 'Why would anyone bring home all his books on a
Friday?
He must really be a nerd.'
I had quite a weekend planned (parties and a football game with my
friends tomorrow afternoon), so I shrugged my shoulders and went on.
As I was walking, I saw a bunch of kids running toward him.
They ran at him, knocking all his books out of his arms and tripping him
so he landed in the dirt.
His glasses went flying, and I saw them land in the grass about ten feet
from him...
He looked up and I saw this terrible sadness in his eyes
My heart went out to him. So, I jogged over to him as he crawled around
looking for his glasses, and I saw a tear in his eye.
As I handed him his glasses, I said, 'Those guys are jerks.'
They really should get lives..
He looked at me and said, 'Hey thanks!'
There was a big smile on his face.
It was one of those smiles that showed real gratitude.
I helped him pick up his books, and asked him where he lived.
As it turned out, he lived near me, so I asked him why I had never seen
him before..
He said he had gone to private school before now.
I would have never hung out with a private school kid before.
We talked all the way home, and I carried some of his books.
He turned out to be a pretty cool kid.
I asked him if he wanted to play a little football
with my friends
He said yes.
We hung out all weekend and the more I got to know Kyle, the more I
liked him, and my friends thought the same of him.
Monday morning came, and there was Kyle with the huge stack of books
again.
I stopped him and said, 'Boy, you are gonna really build some serious
muscles with this pile of books everyday!
He just laughed and handed me half the books.
Over the next four years, Kyle and I became best friends..
When we were seniors we began to think about college.
Kyle decided on Georgetown and I was going to Duke..
I knew that we would always be friends, that the miles would never be a
problem.
He was going to be a doctor and I was going for business on a football
scholarship..
Kyle was valedictorian of our class.
I teased him all the time about being a nerd.
He had to prepare a speech for graduation.
I was so glad it wasn't me having to get up there and speak
Graduation day, I saw Kyle.
He looked great.
He was one of those guys that really found himself during high school.
He filled out and actually looked good in glasses.
He had more dates than I had and all the girls loved him..
Boy, sometimes I was jealous!
Today was one of those days.
I could see that he was nervous about his speech.
So, I smacked him on the back and said, 'Hey, big guy, you'll be great!'

He looked at me with one of those looks (the really grateful one) and
smiled.
' Thanks,' he said.
As he started his speech, he cleared his throat, and began
'Graduation is a time to thank those who helped you make it through
those tough years.
Your parents, your teachers, your siblings, maybe a coach...but mostly
your friends.....
I am here to tell all of you that being a friend to someone is the best
gift you can give them.
I am going to tell you a story.'
I just looked at my friend with disbelief as he told the
first day we met.
He had planned to kill himself over the weekend.
He talked of how he had cleaned out his locker so his Mom wouldn't have
to do it later and was carrying his stuff home.
He looked hard at me and gave me a little smile.
'Thankfully, I was saved.
My friend saved me from doing the unspeakable..'

I heard the gasp go through the crowd as this handsome, popular boy told
us all about his weakest moment.
I saw his Mom and dad looking at me and smiling that same grateful
smile.
Not until that moment did I realize it's depth.
Never underestimate the power of your actions..

With one small gesture you can change a person's life.
For better or for worse....
We are all put in each others lives to impact one another in some way.
You now have two choices, you can :

1) Pass this on to your friends or

2) Delete it and act like it didn't touch your heart..

As you can see, I took choice number 1.

'Friends are angels who lift us to our feet when our wings have trouble
remembering how to fly.'

There is no beginning or end.
Yesterday is history.
Tomorrow is a mystery.
Today is a gift.

If it comes back to you, then you'll know you have a circle of friends.
WHEN YOU RECEIVE THIS LETTER, YOU'RE REQUESTED TO SEND IT TO AT LEAST 10
PEOPLE, INCLUDING THE PERSON WHO
SENT IT TO YOU

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with Hotmail. Get busy.

Social Media's Increasing Role in Dealership Marketing and How Your Dealership Can Get Started

Social Media's Increasing Role in Dealership Marketing and How Your
Dealership Can Get Started


Few things have changed the way businesses advertise like social media. Of course, radio was a big change from print, and TV brought a whole new dynamic, but advertising was still a matter of pushing a message to the masses and hoping some got it.

In today's market, your customers and prospects tell you what they want, when they want it. To some of us old car dogs, this can be a little bit intimidating. It seems like we just got used to using e-mail and now everyone's telling us that we have to be in social media. And when you consider that Facebook has over 300 million active users and is growing by a half-million a day, the reality is you really do need to be in social media if you want to sell cars in 2010. Fortunately, it's not as complicated as some would have you believe. Like most things that lead to success, however, it does require some effort and attention.

To get started, you need to set up accounts on three of the most popular social media Web sites and create a blog account. Each of these accounts will serve a purpose in your social media strategy.

Facebook.com: Create a page for your business, not a profile. According to Facebook, profiles are for individuals and pages are for businesses and organizations. If you set up a profile, Facebook can shut it down for a terms-of-service violation, so do yourself a favor and make it a page. Then, create a personal profile and become your business' first fan! Facebook does not automatically make you a fan just because you created it, so remember to become your first fan.

Facebook is by far the most popular social networking site and is most likely the place where your customers and prospects will engage your store, so you will want to include:

• A link to your Web site – Many experts agree that sites like Facebook will replace search engines, so it's possible in the not-too-distant future that your Facebook page could be the leading referral source to your Web site.

• Contact information – This seems like a no-brainer but a lot of people forget. Be sure to include contact information for your management staff. Used properly, this can quickly resolve customer issues and show prospects that you're transparent in the way you deal with your customers.

• Press releases – You don't need to write routine press releases here. You can set up a RSS feed for your manufacturer and you can feed your own blog in as well.

• Videos – Have a meeting with all your managers. Have them poll their teams and report back with a list of the questions that customers ask them the most. Then, shoot short videos answering those questions. You could even start the video off with a real customer asking the question. You'll post these videos on your YouTube channel, Web site, Twitter and Facebook page.

Twitter.com: When you create your Twitter account, be sure to use the name of your dealership and NOT the name of a person. If your staff changes, be sure that you retain the Twitter account. It will be more valuable than your current list of e-mail addresses very soon.

Let me be clear: Twitter is not an advertising tool. Twitter is the polar opposite of push marketing. People will choose to follow you based on how useful, informative or entertaining you are. Posting your inventory on Twitter is none of those things.

Use your Twitter account about five times a day to post something helpful or entertaining. A Tweet can be a short as, "Just posted video showing how to sync your Bluetooth with your Fusion." Then, include a link to the video. Be sure to use one of the many URL shorteners available, as you only have 140 characters on each Tweet. You can also Tweet about local community events that your store is supporting.

YouTube.com: Create your account then set up a channel. It goes without saying that you'll need a video camera. My favorite is the Flip Mino; it's cheap and easy to use. In addition to answering the most frequently asked questions, you can also record short walk-arounds of your models.

There are a few things to remember to make your videos worth watching:

• Make sure the audio is good. People will watch a grainy video, but if they can't hear it they will bounce off to another.

• Keep it short and sweet, and make it useful, informative or entertaining.

• Maintain good lighting and stability. Keep the light source in front of you and use a tripod.

Now that your accounts are set up, make sure everyone knows. Have signs in the F&I office, on the service drive, and in the showroom and waiting areas telling your customers to "Become a Fan on Facebook" and "Follow Us on Twitter." Be sure to tell your staff to mention these accounts with customers and prospects.


Thank you,
Thomas Ieracitano
Thomas@Ieracitano.com
www.DigitalCarGuy.com
(229) 251-2462
P.S. Are you 'Advertising' or 'Marketing' ?
Ask me the Difference?