As with personal forms of communication, effective email requires that participants observe certain acceptable habits and practices. What follows is a small list of tips which will make your online communication experiences more pleasant.

Avoid the use of all-capital letters.
In the online world, use of all-capital letters is the equivalent of "shouting" whatever you're typing. It is considered rude in most quarters. In addition to this, all-caps can also be more difficult to read, because the shapes and heights of the letters are the same.

Choose a secure password and keep it private.
Your email account password is no different from your house key; it helps protect your personal space. Just as you would not casually loan your house key or leave it visible in a public area, your account password should likewise be kept away from others. Do not disclose your password to family members, friends, or even spouses. Unexpected rifts in these relationships could bring about unexpected consequences.

Do not forward virus warnings and chain letters.
Most warnings of "new unstoppable viruses" are usually hoaxes. The same goes for chain letters which promise rewards of any sort. By forwarding such emails, valuable bandwidth is wasted. In the case of tech oriented emails, the advice they usually offer to "prevent" or "protect" against something can prove dangerous. If you are in doubt about the content of a particular chain letter, Snopes.com can help pinpoint a hoax. The best practice is to proceed skeptically.

Quote a message sparingly when replying to it.
When replying to emails, do not include the entire message's content unless you intend to respond point-by-point or in order to provide a meaningful context for your reply. Needless quoting only serves to clutter email messages and inboxes alike.

Reply to "all" only when needed.
The "Reply to all" feature is a useful feature for group email discussions, but it is also a very powerful one. Reply to the individual who sent the email rather than the group, unless you are positive that the remainder of the list needs to see it. Take the time to double-check who your reply is being sent to! If you mistakenly reply to everyone with criticism meant for private eyes only, embarassment will be the result.

Use a meaningful subject line.
Take the extra time to fill out the Subject: line when sending an email. Your audience will be less likely to open an email which doesn't hint at its contents. Many email servers will mark a subject-less email as spam, thus such messages might not reach their destination. Supplying a relevant subject line is worth the effort!

Use proper spelling, grammar & punctuation.
Bad spelling, grammar and punctuation can obscure the message you are trying to convey. In some cases, these errors can sometimes totally alter the meaning of your text. Most email programs have a spell check option; make use of it whenever possible.