NATCHEZ — No matter how funny an e-mail might be it is never OK to LOL or ROFL at work.

Linda Davis, department chair and instructor in the business and office systems technology department at Copiah-Lincoln Community College in Natchez said because the use of e-mail in so prevalent in business today, it is important that e-mail users know how to appropriately compose and send an e-mail message.

“It is not like sending a note to a friend,” she said. “E-mails in a business setting are professional communications and should be handled that way.”

Twenty years ago when Davis began teaching she was teaching students to write a business letter, now she is teaching her students to communicate through e-mail.

Like writing a business letter, Davis said there are some rules that need to be followed, and that, she said, is what she teaches now.

“Most students now come in and have a grasp on the technology so I’m not having to teach that,” she said. “What we have to focus on is the content.”

She said using proper grammar, subject-verb agreement and punctuation are all key in composing a business e-mail. And she said in her lectures, there is also an emphasis placed on proper spelling.

“Emoticons are not business like,” she said. “Don’t smile or wink or LOL when you are writing a business e-mail. It just isn’t professional.

“And I know people today like to use phonetic spelling for words while texting, but there is no place for that in a business e-mail.”

E-mailreplies.com, a Web site dedicated to sending effective e-mail replies, said using proper e-mail manners is important to establish professionalism, efficiency and protection from liability.

Using proper grammar and language establishes a professional image of the sender as well as associated organizations, the site said.

Also, an awareness of e-mail risks, such as avoiding improper content in a company e-mail, also helps companies and individuals avoid legal action.

The Web site also said using concise but thorough language is key in writing an effective and professional e-mail. The Web site recommended limiting sentence length to 15 to 20 words.

“Do not make an e-mail longer than it needs to be,” the Web site said. “Remember that reading an e-mail is harder than reading printed communications and a long e-mail can be very discouraging to read.”

But just as important as the content of the message, is the form in which the message is sent.

“E-mail must now take on professional appearance,” she said.

Davis said all business e-mails should begin with a salutation and not “just jump into the message.” And the salutation should convey the proper respect for rank within a company she said.

E-mailreplies.com said a to be weary of using background color or colored type in an e-mail since not all e-mail servers send and receive formatting the same way. It also cautioned against using different fonts because not only do some fonts not appear as professional as others, but some are difficult to read.

Davis said above all, good common sense is needed when sending business e-mail.

“We can’t lax our skills,” she said.

That’s because the business world has been transitioning from a conversation-based world to one that is more dependent on electronic communication. So an e-mail doesn’t only provide information or ask a question, Davis said, it also creates an impression.

“So much communication is done nowadays through e-mail that that might be the only chance you get to make an impression on a supervisor or employer,” she said. “Some job interviews are even being done through e-mail now.”