Every day millions and millions of e-mail messages travel at the speed of light around the globe. We’ve come to depend upon their convenience – so much that we’ve forgotten their potential to topple corporate giants, cost billions in fines and legal costs, and destroy reputations and careers.

New electronic media laws have made it easier for lawyers to use media interviews, e-mail, and instant messaging as evidence in court. According to a 2004 survey by the American Management Association and ePolicy Institute, one in five employers had employee e-mail and instant messaging subpoenaed in a lawsuit or regulatory investigation.

Four Biggest E-Mail Mistakes That Could Affect Careers

• Voicing an opinion, passing on a bit of newsworthy office gossip, or commenting
  on hot office topics.
• Sharing a joke or risqué picture to coworkers or friends.
• Forwarding a company memo or customer list.
• Spending a few minutes surfing the Web or sending a quick personal e-mail.

Participation in any one of these activities results in breaking communications laws and unnecessarily putting careers, finances and reputations at risk.

Helpful E-Mail Hints

• Do not use email to discuss confidential information. Sending an email is like sending a postcard. If you don't want your email to be displayed on a bulletin board, don't send it. Moreover, never make any libelous, sexist or racially discriminating comments in emails, even if they are meant to be a joke.
• Do not copy a message or attachment belonging to another user without permission of the originator. If you do not ask permission first, you might be infringing on copyright laws.
• Don't send or forward emails containing libelous, defamatory, offensive, racist or
  obscene remarks. By sending or even just forwarding one libelous, or offensive remark in an email, you and your school/district can face court cases resulting in multi-million dollar penalties.
• Don't forward virus hoaxes. If you receive an email message warning you of a new unstoppable virus that will immediately delete everything from your computer, this is most probably a hoax. By forwarding hoaxes you use valuable bandwidth and sometimes virus hoaxes contain viruses themselves, by attaching a so-called file that will stop the dangerous virus.
• Do not forward chain letters. Even if the content seems to be bona fide, the senders are usually not. Since it is impossible to find out whether a chain letter is real or not, the best place for it is the recycle bin.
• Add disclaimers to your emails. It is important to add disclaimers to your internal and external mails, since this can help protect your company from liability.
  Consider the following scenario: an employee accidentally forwards a virus to a parent by email. The parent decides to sue your school for damages. If you add a disclaimer at the bottom of every external mail, saying that the recipient must check each email for viruses and that it cannot be held liable for any transmitted viruses, this will surely be of help to you in court.