Mark McSpadden

Open Source CU just gave me some props for the little disclaimer I’ve been using at the bottom of my emails. Since a mention on OSCU usually brings in some people, I thought I’d explain and expand a little for anyone that’s interested.

First, the disclaimer that appears just under my name on both my personal and professional emails:

Did I just sound like a jerk? If I came across as a little short, it may be due to the fact that I am currently experimenting with different disciplines of email writing. I am currently limiting all my emails to 3 sentences or less. Sound interesting? Read more at http://three.sentenc.es and help cut down on email clutter.

Where did I start?

A few months back I read Bit Literacy by Mark Hurst and made a personal commitment to write shorter emails. The problem was that I didn’t really share that commitment with anyone. You’d be surprised (or maybe you wouldn’t) at how many people got upset when I started sending one and two sentence emails that ultimately lacked the “personal fluff” they were used to. I quickly abandoned the practice for fear of losing all my friends.

The re-birth of the short email

A few weeks ago, I came across the three sentences site through my feed reading and was re-energized. I took a look at the 2, 4, and 5 sentence varieties but ultimately set myself on 3 and haven’t looked back. I quickly threw together the disclaimer, slapped it on my personal email, and asked permission to use it on my work emails as well. Since I work for one of the coolest companies out there I was given the “ok” and that’s where I sit today.

Personal Benefits

So I love writing shorter emails. Not only do I find my writing improving, but I find myself more likely to send emails. I know that if I can keep it short, there is a much better chance that my email will get read and be responded to. I do spend more time writing each email in order to get it under the 3 sentence limit, but to me it’s well worth it.

Hope you’ve found my little journey enlightening!

Update: I just tracked down where this whole sentences thing got started and this looks like the original. His disclaimer may be better than mine:

Q: Why is this email 5 sentences or less?
A: http://five.sentenc.es