Guest post by Dr Monica Seeley, founder of Mesmo Consultancy and author of Brilliant Email.

Recent article in the New York Times and The Times (subscription req.), suggest that your preference for email over text messaging and on-line chat might symbolise your age. The young it seems have confined conventional email to a coffin in preference for shorter form of communication like text messaging and on-line chat. Whilst there is nothing wrong with all these short messaging systems, my question is what is the implication for business and personal productivity of text-based communications?

You send an email. How long do you think you have to make an impression on the recipient? Five seconds maximum. Sloppy message, sloppy you. What form of email is more likely to open doors, get you on the application list for a new job etc, professional or sloppy?

Observing the clients with whom I work and their most frequently asked questions suggests that many young people have forgotten the art of writing. Then of course there are the messages sent in haste and which have legal implications and often end up as evidence in court. For example, they contain factual errors, implicit acceptance of an error on the part of the sender (or their business), libellous content etc. The catalogue of email media disasters is littered with such examples.

Last but by no means least there is the time wasted whilst you try to work out what the other person is saying/asking and play unnecessary rounds of email ping-pong.

Being able to compose a professional email is therefore key both to the overall profitability of the business (no matter what size from micro to large global) and your own personal professional image. By professional I mean one which is grammatically correct, no spelling errors, structured to make it easy to read and contains a proper salutation and sign off. Regardless of length, it conveys the right message, right first time.

Text speak might be fine for social communications but for business communications, it’s time to re-learn the art of letter writing and some email etiquette.

For tips and hints on email etiquette to create a professional image and productivity see my website mesmo.co.uk and new book ‘Brilliant Email’.

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This year I got to tick another one off my list:

• Join the Spartans for their annual Christmas Swim – DONE!

(click the pic for more photos)

Mum joined me for the swim, I think she’s probably not as used to the sea temperature as I am… very proud anyway.

BUT it wasn’t the actual spartans swim… no, for some reason, there were 2 swims.

Well, we arrived, it was cold, we saw one group about to go in, so we joined them. The spartans may of had the mayor and a tv crew but this lot were kind enough to let us join them. They had a bigger group, all I can find out is a news item on McMillan news page (dated 3/11/10) and a justgiving page

If you are these people, or know them, do get in touch. I’d love to see both groups swim together next year, it would of been nearly 50 people!

UPDATE: think I have located a fellow swimmer on FB, have emailed to try and locate the video!

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I thought it was time to write a bit about one of the projects I give my time to: The Digital Dorset Taskforce

The Digital Dorset Taskforce, chaired by Dr Monica Seeley has been established by Dorset Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Its role is to lobby and negotiate with BT and other internet service providers to improve broadband speeds and access for businesses across Dorset.

For more information please contact the group manager Luke Williams.

We will post articles related to this project and invite comment from anyone wishing to learn more, or contribute to the discussion in any way.

As I’m going to start writing more about it on here, it seemed only right to introduce it. We’ll shortly be announcing a very exciting pilot project for wireless access to rural communities.

I’m a big believer in trying to improve internet access and speed for all, the proposed 2MB by 2015 just seems so useless that it’s nice to be able to help, in some small way nudge it along.

If you’d like to know more about how we’re hoping to improve internet access for Dorset, please drop me a line or join the LinkedIn group from the link above.

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A simple “how-to” for you today, on a more personal Facebook kind of tip.

How to: block that annoying old friend who keeps inviting you to events.

We’ve all got one, a well intentioned… but borderline spammer, old friend. Perhaps it’s their new designer bling clothes peg business or they’re in a band, you’ve tried to say “please stop spamming me” but they don’t listen.

Removing them isn’t an option because you do still want to keep in touch with them.

1. Log in to Facebook.
2. On the “account” drop down (top right) choose “privacy settings”
3. You’ll then see a grid of privacy settings, underneath this are 3 sections, underneath the “Block Lists” heading click on “edit your lists”
4. This page has some really handy little bits on it for (un)blocking applications, people and the third section from the top: Block event invitations
5. Type in here the names of any people you want to prevent sending you Facebook event invites.

If you found this useful, please do share it on.

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Finally making some progress in cutting down the sugar intake… just the 5 this week, but that’s including 2 days where I had to disrupt my sleeping pattern and then get up early, so I”m happy with that.

Have made the move to dark chocolate, that has to help… and tea I’m now a 1/2 a tsp man (down from 2) so I think I can say the trend is going the right way!

Reiters has declined a bit, knee still gives me grief; Have to wait for a specialist appt (4-6 weeks) to try and figure out the triggers. (What if its a lack of sugar? that’d be hilarious!)

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So after shocking myself with the sheer size of sugar in a week… i managed to cut down to…. erm… 6 last week

3 energy drinks, a rockstar (76g in this badboy!) and 2 rio types. Not too bad.

In other news, i’ve finished the course of steroids for my stupid reiters… its almost back to full strength, so I’m going to stay clear of exercise till its 100%.

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wow. ok when you look at it like that, it’s even worse! Must… drink… less… SUGAR!

I have started to cut back on the sweet stuff generally, eat the odd bit of dark choc as a treat… must.. eat… BETTER!!!

In other news, the Reiters is back and I seem to have an intolerance to dairy, god… I’m a bundle of health. Sorry folks. On steroids again (prescribed btw!) so makes my brain a bit crazy.

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