I'd like to add a "How to reply to email" section, which would include these key points:

- An email may include more than one action point or question. Make sure you've properly read the email and understood all the action points/questions.

- Acknowledge all actions you have been asked to do, eg, "Hi Bob, Thanks for your email. I'll get you the report by Tuesday, and book the conference room for our meeting on Thursday." Don't just assume that because you've seen it you don't need to respond to say you've seen it. If I know you've seen it and are acting on it, I can close the mental loop in my head that says "This thing must be done", which allows me to get on with other things rather than worry about whether the report's on schedule and the conference room booked.

- If you are asked more than one question, answer them all, not just the first one or the last one. This drives me batty. If I asked you more than one question, it was for a reason - because I want the answers! If you can't answer one of the questions right now, at least acknowledge that you've seen it and will get back to me.

Really, I do sometimes wonder why people find this stuff so hard. And it's not necessarily the youngsters who are guilty of crimes against email, it's everyone.