| Basically it says who you are and where you're from, | | | | internet and web services using generic service |
| but it also conveys a lot more than many people | | | | provider email addresses to market their services. All |
| realize. Do you use a good email address for your | | | | web hosting services provide email services with |
| business communication? Surprisingly, too many | | | | domain hosting - it's part of what you already pay |
| businesses don't. This is about the use of email | | | | for if you have a business website. You can get a |
| addresses within a business context. | | | | basic web domain and email service for as little as $5 |
| When someone receives an email from you, there is | | | | a month from a choice of thousands of providers. |
| inferred information conveyed about you in your | | | | How comfortable are you dealing with someone who |
| email address. It's easier illustrated with examples - | | | | doesn't have professional business email address? |
| what would you think if you received a business | | | | Personally, I generally avoid doing business with |
| email from '' or ''? | | | | anyone who doesn't have their own business domain |
| The first example may be someone's personal email | | | | and a professional email address. |
| address they're using for business purposes. If that's | | | | Good guidelines for business email addresses: |
| what you want to convey in your personal life, that's | | | | - Don't use your personal email address for business. |
| your choice. However, for business purposes this has | | | | - Always use your business domain name for your |
| 2 problems - the user name 'hot-one' does not | | | | business emails - e.g. 'yourcompanyname.com' |
| convey a professional image (unless that's the nature | | | | - Use a professional email name that identifies you - |
| of your business) and using a generic service provider | | | | e.g. '', or 'john.', or '', etc. Keep it simple and resist |
| like gmail does not indicate that you actually have a | | | | being clever or cute. |
| real business. | | | | - If it's a functional area in your business you could |
| The second example uses a good business domain of | | | | use a functional email name - e.g. '', '', etc. |
| 'yourcompanyname.com', but do you really want to | | | | - But don't choose something impersonal such as '', or |
| be known to your customers and business associates | | | | '', etc. |
| as 'fast-eddie'? There is obvious lack of | | | | - Always clearly identify yourself in the email sender |
| professionalism in that choice. | | | | name so recipients immediately know who an email is |
| I am regularly astonished by seeing businesses with | | | | from. |
| reasonable 'yourcompanyname.com' web domain | | | | - Be wary of anyone who doesn't follow these rules. |
| presence, using email addresses from generic service | | | | That means others will be wary of you if you don't |
| providers such as gmail, yahoo, hotmail, etc. Even | | | | follow these rules either. |
| more dumbfounding are businesses that provide | | | | |