This article summarizes a few points that are important to remember in written communication.

The most important points

• Don't write if you are angry or upset.
• Remember that you are writing  to other people.
• Feelings are hard to communicate through writing.
• Everything you write can be used against you.
• Be sensible when you evaluate the contents of information you receive.
• Proofread you emails to remove misspellings and unclear sentences.

Don't write if you are are angry

All the issues discussed under lead up to the most important rule for use of written communication: Don't write anything if you are angry.

You are communicating with other people

When writing a message, it is important to remember that someone is sitting on the receiving end. This can be easy forget when you are typing alone in front of your computer.

Feelings are hard to communicate through writing

Feelings aren't communication well in written messages. Other people can interpret what you write in many different ways, and the you may see what someone else writes very differently that the sender intended. It is incredible how much of our communication actually occurs through tone of voice, body language and posture.

Everything you write can be used against you

Everything you write, both emails and messages in newsgroups, will be saved on many different computers around the world, and can be reproduced when you least expect it.

You should therefore never send anything that you can't stand up for or you think that you might regret later. This also applies to movies and pictures you upload on to the Internet.

Use discretion

Be critical to information you receive. It's not difficult to make emails or messages in newsgroups that are deceiving.

Never trust a single source, check several sources to be completely sure of your information.