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Powerful Email

I’m sure you’ve heard the expression “less is more.” Never so true as in the world of email & email addresses!

Powerful business correspondence is clear, to the point and memorable. Today email has become the method of choice for fast, direct, non-invasive business communication.

RIGHT: Jim@JimBouchard.org

I don’t mean to brag, but I will. If you meet me I’ll introduce myself as “Jim.” That’s the name I use for my email account when I want someone to really be able to get in touch with me. My web site domain is: JimBouchard.org, now you know my whole name and it’s not too hard to remember.

WRONG: Jim@dynamiccomponentsofpersonalpower.org

We thought about it! If I threw that at you at a Chamber networking event would you remember it? Even if you did, is there the slightest chance you might mis-type at least some of that text?

I could have gone with Jim@dcpp.org. That would have been fairly easy to remember, but to really remember that you’d have to know something about me or about what I do. You’d only be likely to remember this address if you could remember Dynamic Components of Personal Power, and besides, that’s what I do, not who I am. I’m Jim, and my domain is JimBouchard.org.

I’m picking on myself as an example so as not to inadvertently cause offense, but I’ve seen some email addresses that are even longer than the example above. Still, I know some of you may not be able to choose what domain name you’re stuck with. That decision may have been made by someone who fancied themselves far more insightful than you or me, so…

If you are stuck with a great mess of a domain, at least have your cards and stationery printed with some capital letters to help the rest of the world make sense of it as we enter your contact info on less than 27 inch monitors.

COMPARE: Jim@dynamiccomponentsofpersonalpower.org

TO: Jim@DynamicComponentsOfPersonalPower.org

You might use the old standby: _ as in: Jim@Dynamic_Components_of_Personal_Power.org, but that can get kind of confusing and you’d have to remember I used spaces in my URL or was thoughtful enough to register several versions of my domain name. I wouldn’t even remember if I used spaces in my own address and I’m not thoughtful enough to register several versions of my domain! Besides, the underscores get lost in the underline, forget it!

Now for the part you should have some control over: your personal mailbox name. While it may be memorable, I don’t want my wife to see my business email addressed to: foxytale@BigCompany.com. The descriptive nature of your “handle” may be lost on all but your most intimate friends.

Also bothersome are the add-on digits when your domain administrator informs you that “Jim” is already taken: Jim3456@BigCompany.com. First of all, it looks like a prison number. Next, there are many of us who have a hard time remembering our own phone numbers, never mind a set of random numbers placed after your name. If you’ve got an email address like that, you better hope I didn’t misplace your business card. If you must use numbers, match your phone extension.

Sometimes it’s best just to use your full name; in this case, use upper and lower case again so my eyes can separate the words:

WRITE: JamesBouchard@BigCompany.com

NOT: jamesjbouchardsr@dynamiccomponentsofpersonalpower.org

Finally, if you’re in business please invest the $35 a year it takes to at least have a basic home page registered to your own domain name with associated email accounts. I don’t even like sending $20 for a vintage Patriots yearbook to an address like: SuckerBornEveryMinute@aol.com. Unless you work for AOL, Yahoo or Google, why not promote your own business instead of theirs? Most hosting services now have simple web based templates that anyone can use to create a web site in thirty minutes or less. If that’s still too technical, consult any of the …For Dummies or …For Idiots books for complete instructions. I figure any idiot can register an AOL email account and I don’t like to give my money to idiots!

We haven’t even begun to realize the potential of the internet. As we speak Web 2.0 is changing the face of business communication. We’re just about to launch a Dynamic Components “IGroop” that serves as an interactive on-line community for people interested in personal development and success. Don’t be a Fred Flintstone doing business in the age of the Jetsons!

Use your email and web presence to promote yourself and your business. Keep it simple enough so even people that have been hit in the head as much as I have will remember and find you.

Best thoughts for success on the web!

Jim@JimBouchard.org!

Jim Bouchard is the author of Dynamic Components of Personal Power: Success the Black Belt Way! Learn more about Jim and Dynamic Components at JimBouchard.org.

PowerPOD…
We’ve just launched the most powerful podcast on the web! Click here to check out PowerPOD hosted by Jim Bouchard.

Most recent episode: Conversation with Marsha Petrie Sue, author of CEO of YOU and Toxic People: Decontaminate Difficult People at Work without Using Weapons or Duct Tape!

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