I sometimes hear people say they actually enjoy some of the FWDs that make it to their inbox and I can identify. There have been times when I have received a forward (usually from my twin brother) that I was glad he passed on. But it still irked me that my email address was being broadcast to a large group of people (who may do only God knows what with it) and it was clear that instead of specifically thinking of me when he sent the FWD he blindly sent it to his entire contact list.

Is it possible to forward email responsibly?

Yes it is. While forwarding is often an email fopaux, the act of forwarding an entertaining or enlightening email to a friend or family member does not have to be a forbidden practice. Here are some tips you can use to pass such emails along without fear of making an email etiquette blunder.

1. Choose recipients wisely
   While reading your email, try to think of people who you know would enjoy reading it. Ask yourself these questions as you are making your list:
   • Do I know this person?
     If you don’t know who the person is behind the email address or if you do know who it is but you’re just acquainted with each other, don’t send it to him/her.
   • Do I work with this person?
     If your answer is yes, make sure you have the kind of relationship with your coworker that makes it acceptable to send the email. Also, use that person’s personal email address if possible.
   • Am I in touch with this person on a regular basis?
     Is this someone with whom you have regular contact with outside of forwarded emails? Don’t send an email with a bunch of silly photos to your sister if you never talk to her on the phone or have an actual conversation via email. Your sister might be irritated by the fact that you have the time to spam her with your FWDs but not the time to pick up the phone or write a personal note.
   • Do I really want to be associated with the content of this email?
     What you email people reflects on your own character. If you’re sending a list of racist jokes to your list, you will be labeled a racist. If you send out right-wing political emails, you’ll be labeled a right-winger. Whether you are okay with being labeled or not, be aware that it will happen.
2. Email one at a time
   By now your list should be relatively small so this should not be a big deal. Instead of emailing everyone on the list at once, email one recipient at a time. This will protect the recipients email address from being exposed to others which could increase the risk of spam or even more FWDs from people who are not as responsible as you;-) It also allows you to ad a personal note (covered below).
3. Copy and paste
   Don’t click the forward button when you are ready to compose your email. This will attach a bunch of stuff to the the email that you are sending out plus expose the email addresses of those who already received the email. Instead, compose a new email message, give it a descriptive and personal subject line that does not have FWD at the beginning, finally copy and past the content of the email that you are forwarding into the body of the email.
4. Add a personal note
   At the top of your email message, which now includes the part you wanted to forward, add a personal message from you to the recipient. Something like, “Hi Steve, I thought you’d like this funny picture of a guy with an Apple tattoo. How are your kids? See you at the club on Saturday!” Adding a note like this will make it more likely that you’ll get a response from the recipient and the personal touch will be appreciated.

You see, you can share the stuff that you think is worthy of other peoples’ time without offending them or exposing their email addresses. All it takes is a bit more time and thought. Now instead of being ignored, put on a block list or receiving emails from a.friend@stopforwarding.us, you’ll get the opportunity to share something with your friends and family while creating the opportunity for future communication and relationship building.