Think before you press send. It’s all too easy to bombard the people around you with a continuous stream of thought-bites via e-mail. Whether you’re an office newbie or you have simply fallen into bad e-habits, it’s time to take stock of how you use e-mail. Here’s how to set the right tone and become a master user:

1.

Dearest Sir. Flowery introductions are unnecessary, says Chris Horseman, the managing director of Balance Learning, a training company. But do make sure you get the person’s name right. "Don’t make assumptions when you are talking to someone you don’t know," he says. Guessing the sex of the sender or confusing the order of Chinese names are common errors.

2.

Build a rapport. "Always greet the recipient," says Monica Seeley, who teaches good e-mail practice. "And if you are responding to an e-mail, mirror what has been sent." E-mails are often quick-fire, so take the time to create a good impression, particularly with someone you don’t know well.

3.

Pick up the phone. Ask yourself whether it’s better to call and introduce yourself, particularly to a customer. . "A voice message can be much warmer [than an e-mail]," Seeley says.

4.

All users. It’s one thing to press "reply to all" accidentally when you meant to send your message to one recipient, quite another to e-mail your entire organization, including the CEO, to ask to borrow a mobile phone charger.

5.

DON’T USE CAPITALS. It’s scary when people shout.

6.

Keep it corporate. "Forget fancy formatting and stick to [your company’s] corporate format," Seeley says. "When an e-mail leaves your organization, it can lose its layout." Never, ever use emoticons, send jokes or use abbreviations people might misunderstand.

7.

Keep it brief. "If it’s going to be a lengthy e-mail, use headers or bullet points," says Louise Oliver, a spokesperson for Adecco, a recruitment company. "Use the subject header to summarize your message and put an overview of the objective in the first paragraph." Attach background information, if necessary, in a separate document.

8.

Cyber stalking isn’t cool. "Allow 24 hours for a response unless it really is urgent. If it is urgent then pick up the phone," Seeley says. Don’t call someone to ask if they received the e-mail you sent three minutes ago.

9.

Think before you send. "Make sure that you are sending your e-mail to the right person," Oliver says. "Use your judgment before copying someone into your message. People ‘c.c.’ as an insurance policy," she says.