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It's hard to believe that just two decades, we had a day without having to send or receive e-mails.

Now, the acceleration of the avalanche of digital missives back and forth line of fire as an epic battle between the laser rebels and the Empire - and recently, the discharge was almost enough to seriously injure the good old U.S. postal service.

All in all, we will send approximately 300 billion emails per day worldwide, according to research firm Radicati. The average business email account accepts and takes out more than 100 entries a day. And we're just going to come out and say a bunch of those emails are just useless, send a print-happy computer users across the frivolity splashing their lists of contacts.

E-mail courtesy is contagious, and it starts with you. In this sense, here are three rules of the game by sending a group e-mail.

First Think long and hard on the "To:".

All the whining we filled our mailboxes, not enough time to deal sympathetically imagine the things that send our friends. Apply Awareness, Buzzy the pop-psychology concept of being in the moment and think about what you do, e-mail transmission.

All 63 participants are unlikely to enjoy the video very adorable puppies sneezing. People who live in another state does not need to know the curtain rises on your new puppet influenced reinvention of "Lost in Yonkers." The occasional friend who never, never, never responds to weekend-planning group e-mails are not suddenly want to be known as you draw your Friday night bar crawl.

Stop the madness, and to cut carefully before pressing "Send".

Do not blindly second BCC.

We said before the Blind Carbon Copy is one of the most abused web tools. Here are the bullet points - read sloooowly then attacks:

Valid justification, the BCC recipient list:

● There is a huge and heavy list (in this case, see # 1)

● There are people on the list if the e-mail for the rest of the world should not have (eg, personal e-mail about this B-movie star, you used to go clubbing with in Berlin)

● honest person would have to include the previous e-mail blast. Did you realize the omission later, and I thought, "Dang, I forgot to Tommy, it would be hard to tack on his debate now so I'll just send an e-mail fresh, the BCC and leave this to be the first time I have to warn anyone in my chicken wire-and-dumb-string installation Opening Ceremony. "Hey, it happens.

Unacceptable for reasons of the list of Bcc recipients:

● You do not want people to know who else is invited (or whoever is in possession of information you disclose.) Sometimes, the list of people invited BCC for their birthday party to give a sense of exclusivity, for example. He turns around when you invite a friend to talk to non-guests or, worse, do not come because he is afraid of his ex-girlfriend Sulky was invited, too.

● You want to check your email to another recipient slyly. Sometimes people do this with the best intentions - you BCC your friend Carl on an e-mail you send to your heads, singing the praises of Carls and recommend it to an open position. But as a boss hit reply to all, and explains that he met colleague Carl and heard terrible things about him - a note that OL "C, to hang in limbo and get BCC. The trick yellow on your face? is eggs.

The problem can occur when the BCC does not realize that you copy hidden knowledge: he tube up to the debate, revealing gossip and embarrassing for both. Instead BCC'ing, Peeping Tom forward to change things later.

3rd Let people opt-out.

This is an injustice, really, can not unsubscribe from person to person by e-mail discussions about how you can cut that deal with daily offerings of fruits crackers cuttered animals and letters and flowers and other things. But unfortunately, when a spam reaching your inbox and not offensive enough to get the "spam" treatment, they are forced to rely on the rest of the group to give him the boot.

Quick example: Your friend Debbie e-mails to the entire band to ask if anyone wants to see the band of fellow ska punk, indie, Phat Pigeon Friday. To respond rapidly to everyone to tell their friends who will be the home of his grandparents in Ohio over the weekend, drink syrups to your liquor cabinet and watch TV with wrong powder in the five hours between bedtime and yours.

And here's the hostage situation begins. Clearly, you do not want to read, followed by 300 e-mail plan in advance the place of celebration, drink and supplies choices suit the whole group, but your friends just do not stop hitting Reply All. (This applies to business situations, too: Do ​​you realize that you're not in this project, the lips, but you're stuck in your email in the crossfire.)

Take Home Message: If you are the initiator of a group email (Debbie in this situation), it is your duty to keep quiet about the To: field clean and tidy. If someone tricks you want, even if they have nothing new to add to the thread, it's your job to react quickly and say: "I took so long and so far from the chain. What about the rest of you?"

Another tip for beneficiaries annoying, however: if the message comes from a group mailing list [a broadcast or a group of ex-Google, for example], not just hit reply and write "I stop getting this" in the body of another message. He did not lose a magic fairy to unsubscribe from your inbox, but rather than spam the group with his letter. Instead, take the extra 20 seconds to scan the offending e-mail with instructions to unsubscribe.