Business email etiquette?

I represent a large global enterprise. I am having a disagreement with a colleague. I feel that when emailing to formally introduce yourself and the company, traditional letter format should be followed - date, complete name, title, address, etc... he differs with me. He feels that it is not necessary. Does anyone have a pointed reference? Thanks!
Business email etiquette?
I don't have a pointed reference, but it seems to me that following the style conventions for traditional business letters in an e-mail is somewhat redundant.





After all, your e-mail application automatically includes the date, and I believe it's more accepted and reader-friendly to have an e-mail signature at the end of your message that includes your name, title, address, etc.





E-mails -- particularly business e-mails -- are best kept as concise and easy-to-read as possible. So I'd say it would be much more effective to forgo the traditional letter format, include a professional-looking e-mail signature and keep the content of your message as brief and informative as possible.
Reply:The goal is to make a good first impression. I think the more conservative approach is less likely to offend. Of course, it depends on your audience. If you were writing to some internet startup you might consider the less stuffy format.
Reply:I agree with you. It seem awkward but I can't think of why it would be different. Unless your name, title, address, etc. is at the bottom of the email with your name. Then i suppose all you would need on the top is the date, which really they will have because it automatically give the date when the person receives it. So I guess I don't know. Maybe you are both right!
Reply:It's evolving. In 1996, it was considered rude to use any uppercase letters in email. Business email looked like this:





hi dave jones,





the team and i want to get together for lunch :-)





don johnson





Though caps and punctuation are good, I think the body of an email should always remain informal ... like a hand-written note stapled to a formal business letter. If you want to send a formal business letter by email, I'd suggest attaching a PDF of it and using the body of the email for a short "hello."
Reply:The traditional information you mention is typically included in the signature file at the end of an e-mail. Otherwise, when e-mailing for business purposes, I advise folks that if they treat their e-mail as though it is on company letterhead -- they'll never go wrong!





I have several articles on my site you may find interesting, "Signature File Dos and Don'ts" and "Business E-mail Basics." Just go to NetManners.com and click on E-mail Etiquette Articles.





HTH! ;-)