I’m optimistically titling this post “Email etiquette – rules 1 & 2″ in the hope that I’ll go on to work out the remaining xx over the next few days/months/years, because if there’s one thing I know it’s that the world isn’t very good at them.

Now there are already some sites that cover email etiquette, but as their advice tends to be along the lines of “DO NOT WRITE IN CAPITALS” I think it’s safe to say they’re not targeting the more experienced of users.

I’m starting off with a more complicated one: when you send someone an email, and they send you one back with the answer, do you reply to thank them? It’s a tricky one. Risk appearing rude and ungrateful, or adding to people’s considerable email burden.

My conclusion: reply, but be brief and don’t give them any reason to send you a reply back.

Number two is related: if someone sends you an email, but you know it’s going to take you a day to reply, do you ignore it until you can send a meaningful reply or send an immediate acknowledgement?

Again, I go for brief acknowledgement, but I know others disagree.

So what do you think? Am I alone in even pondering these things? Should I, just maybe, get a life? Feel free to send in your own email etiquette suggestions… and indeed various forms of verbal abuse.