A friend of mine who served on a committee with me recently passed away. As the committee began to prepare for its next meeting through e-mail announcements, I noticed my friends name was still on the mailing roster. This was obviously an oversight, however, we need to be aware of little details like this. It may be very painful for the family of the deceased person to receive these messages.
You would not send mail through the postal service to a deceased person, would you? E-mails should be regarded in the same manner.
1) Remove the name of the deceased from all mailing and group lists. It may be a difficult thing to do symbolically, but be courteous of their in box and the family members who might have to sort through the mail.
2) If you receive e-mail with a deceased persons name included in the recipients, please remove their name before replying to all.
3) Check older e-mails to make sure the name of the deceased person has been removed before using it as a group list or using it as a reference.
Timely and thoughtful. We are all a bit lost in cyberspace when it comes to etiquette online. Social networking sites, email groups & email lists, online videos, online pictures, shared files, video conferencing and conference calls, comments left on blog pages. The rules haven’t changed but it gets confusing when the venue shifts. Many companies and individuals could benefit from suggestions or training on how to navigate these new waters with confidence and grace. Case studies for an article or regular column abound, unfortunately.
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