Best Practices

As a user of the Maricopa County Community Colleges District (MCCCD) Electronic Communication system, I understand and agree to abide by the following Electronic Communication Policy. The terms govern my access to and use of the information technology applications, services and resources of MCCCD and the information they generate.

• Make very judicious and extremely limited use of the electronic communications directories. Avoid sending messages to everybody unless the message is significant and applicable to everybody. Most people automatically delete these types of messages without reading them. Because of overuse, this has become a common reaction and your message is not as effective as you might think.

• Keep the message brief. Messages that run into multiple screens are ineffective, and people just do not read them.

• Use descriptive titles on the subject line of your message to let readers know what the message is about. If you don't catch their attention early, they may not continue to read the message.

• Do not respond to a message unless you are asked for input. Be careful when responding to "all recipients." Often responding only to the sender is proper and is appreciated by others.

• Limit the number of hard copies that you print. You defeat this purpose and waste resources with excessive printing.

• Delete old or unneeded messages. Everything you do not delete takes up space on expensive disk space. Be a good housekeeper and eliminate clutter.

• Never forget a human being is receiving your messages. Ask for clarification before jumping to conclusions. Perhaps that seemingly outrageous message was meant to be funny or to convey a completely different idea.

• Do not send mail or post a notice when angry or upset.

• Use uppercase text sparingly. It is more difficult to read and used only for emphasis. Many readers consider the use of capital letters the electronic equivalent of SHOUTING.

• If you are attempting sarcasm or other humor, clearly indicate so.

• Reading text on a person's computer screen without invitation is like reading papers lying on their desk or in their hand.

• Send a different message for each topic of discussion. The REPLY command is a convenient way to send an answer, but when changing topics, use the NEW MESSAGE command so you can change the subject title.

• When responding to a message, give some indication as to the content of the original message.

• Watch the use of abbreviations. Use abbreviations that are already common to the English language such as FYI and ASAP. Beyond that you run the risk of confusing the recipient.

• It is a good idea to include your name at the bottom of your electronic message along with your electronic address. Originator information is not always clear to the recipient.

• When responding to a message, it is not necessary to attach every document that you have received pertaining to the subject. Only attach any necessary documents.