Patricia T. O'Conner, the bestselling language maven who demystified grammar (Woe Is I) and writing (Words Fail Me) for legions of delighted readers, now takes on the challenge of polishing our electronic language skills. E-mail and the Internet need not be the death of good writing. In fact, the computer could be the best thing to happen to literacy since the printing press. Since we're all writing all the time, You Send Me helps us polish up our language and social skills in cyberspace. Dealing with subjects like etiquette ("To E or Not to E"), beefier writing ("The E-Mail Eunuch"), and civilized English ("Go Configure"), the authors deliver everything you need to know to achieve virtual savvy. If you'd like to upgrade your e-mail and other online writing, this is the book for you.
Which came first, abominable writing or the computers on which that writing is wrought? Either way, say Patricia T. O'Conner and Stewart Kellerman in You Send Me, "much of what passes for writing in cyberspace is dreadful." Sending e-mail, joining chat rooms, and putting up Web sites is so easy that you might think the writing doesn't matter. Guess again. "When you write well, you connect," say the authors. "When you write badly, you don't." Some of You Send Me--lessons on grammar, punctuation, spelling, and confusing words--applies to all writing; the rest is tailored to online writing, particularly e-mailing. There's advice on writing subject lines, getting to the point, and getting the facts right. The authors recommend politeness and discretion, the use of the Shift key, and the inclusion of greetings and closings. Ask permission before sending attachments, they advise, "don't put anything in an office e-mail that you wouldn't want the whole office to see," "go easy on the Forward button," and "never hit Send in anger." And remember: "The less time you spend thinking about your message," they say, "the more time someone else has to spend reading it." --Jane Steinberg
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 4.0 / 5.0
A helpful, easy read, but already dated:
Judging by the incoherent emails currently cluttering my email inbox, few of us know how to write online. Patricia T. O'Connor and Stewart Kellerman, best selling authors and former New York Times editors, aim to teach the basics of online writing, especially email, in You send me: Getting it right when you write online (2002). According to the authors, writing's popular again thanks to the increased use of the internet, but online writing is often dreadful because few people put the same thought and work... more info
A Useful Edition and Addition on Language:
If you want your grammar and writing lessons sane, sober, serious, skip this book because the jokes, plays on words and plain old fun will drive you crazy.
But if you need light, useful advice about writing in cyberspace, or quick reminders about using numbers correctly, office etiquette, or brush-ups on grammar and writing, and have a laugh in the process, this book is for you. I highly recommend it.
O'Conner's books (Woe Is I, Words Fail Me, and now, You Send Me) remind me of an editor I work with... more info
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