7 E-mail Salutations to Use (And 4 to Avoid)

7 E-mail Salutations to Use (And 4 to Avoid) Have you ever opened an es of peer relationships would be co-workers, clients you have already established a working relationship with, friends, neighbors, etc. If you are sending an e-mail to your manager or boss, or someone in a position of power, it could come across as presumptive and disrespectful if you dont share a certain level of familiarity in your working relationship with them. A good rule of thumb is: If you refer to the recipient on a first-name basis in everyday conversation, this is a great salutation to use in e-mail correspondence.2. Hi [Ms./Mr. Last Name],When to useThis is the more formal version of #1, and is best when used in situations in which you are not on a first-name basis with the recipient. Likely circumstances where this salutation would be the best choice are:Potential clients with whom you havent established a working relationshipPeers, managers or superiors on the job you are not on a first-name basis with in everyday conversationExecutive-level reci pients outside of your department youve never met in person or with whom youve never established a close working relationshipEditors or agents during the query or submission processCity officialsFormal requestsTeachers (who have not earned an honorary title, such as Doctor)Why its a good choiceFor anyone with whom you havent established a first-name basis relationship, this is the most standard and semi-formal salutation you can use. An added bonus is: You dont need to know the recipients first name to use it.Potential problemsThe main problem you could encounter when using this salutation is getting the recipients gender wrong, for example, writing Dear Ms. Edwards for a recipient who is male. Another issue you could encounter is to write Dear Mrs. Edwards to an unmarried female. For this reason, its best to avoid Mrs. altogether and use the marital status-neutral Ms. instead.3. Dear [First Name],When to useThis is a slightly more formal version of #1 and should only be used in sit uations where communication on a first-name basis is appropriate. Although dear is, in some contexts, considered to be endearing- in modern communication, it comes across as slightly stuffier than its Hi counterpart.Why its a good choiceThis is a good choice of salutation if you want a more formal version of #1 and works as a great e-mail greeting for anyone with whom youre on a first-name basis.Potential problemsThe main problem you might encounter with this salutation is coming across as more formal than you intended.4. Dear [Ms./Mr.] [Last Name]:When to useIf you want a slightly more formal approach to #2 (Hi Ms. Edwards), this is the best choice. As with #2, it can be used in a variety of contexts in which you are not on a first-name basis with the recipient.Why its a good choiceThis salutation covers a broad scope of contexts in which you would be conducting e-mail correspondence. In many cases, Hi and Dear are interchangeable- its really based on the preference of the sender.P otential problemsYou really cant go wrong with this salutation, unless you are writing to a close friend or colleague with whom you have a first-name basis relationship. In that case, it might come across as stuffy and confusing, with your friend wondering if theyve said or done something to upset you.5. Dear [Doctor/Professor] [Last Name]:When to useThis is the best salutation to use when you are writing to a recipient who has an honorary title. Notice that in this salutation, the most standard punctuation is a colon rather than a comma. Here are some examples:Dear Lieutenant Brooks:Dear Dr. [or Doctor] Smith:Dear Honorable Jackson:Dear Mayor Wyatt:Dear Reverend Shay:Dear Professor Thompson:Obviously, there are dozens more honorary titles than those listed here, so do your research on the front end to make sure you address the recipient correctly, based on his or her honorary title. If you are unsure of which to use, this website is a great resource for names, titles, and forms of address, including how to address an envelope, how to write the salutation in an e-mail or letter, and how to refer to him or her in person. It is published by The Protocol School of Washington, which offers continuing education and training in protocol, cross-cultural awareness, and business etiquette for advanced business studies. The website covers honorary titles from Abbots and Attorney Generals to Vice Presidents and Warrant Officers, and is a highly useful reference that is also available in print format.Why its a good choiceIf you are contacting someone with an honorary title, it is likely that your reason for communicating is important. People who have gained such titles have spent their life in pursuit of learning and preparing for it, so it should never be used incorrectly- or worse, not used at all- in e-mail communication.Potential problemsThe misuse of an honorary title or use of an incorrect one is an etiquette faux pas in communication, including e-mail communication . You run the risk of being judged as unprofessional by doing so, which means that the message or request you are attempting to communicate could be ineffective or ignored.The misuse of an honorary title or use of an incorrect one is an etiquette faux pas in communication, including e-mail communication. Photo by Nacho Arteaga on Unsplash.6. Dear Staff or Dear Colleagues,When to useWhen you are addressing multiple people in your e-mail, such as correspondence to a companys entire staff, this is a good choice in salutation.Why its a good choiceIts neither too informal nor too formal, and takes care of addressing a number of recipients.Potential problemsOne thing to keep in mind is that if you are addressing a group of recipients like this, your message should be something that everyone needs to hear. Dont send out passive aggressive e-mails addressed to a group when youre really only wanting the message to go out to a few.7. Dear Friends or Dear Family,When to useThis is a great choi ce in salutation for e-mails sent out to friends or relatives, such as announcements for reunions, births, marriages, or parties.Why its a good choiceAs long as all of the recipients fall into one category (friends or family), this is the most obvious choice and is better than Dear everyone or Hi all.Potential problemsAs noted in #6, be sure that the message is indeed intended for the entire group. If not, it could come across as a passive aggressive way of dealing with conflict that would be better handled face-to-face with those who are involved. And on that note, keep in mind that e-mails are not the best method of communicating negative news or conflicts that have arisen. Face-to-face conversations with those directly involved are the better choice in these situations.4 salutations to avoidNow that weve covered the best e-mail salutations to use and the circumstances to use them in, lets look at some overly formal, outdated, ineffective, overly enthusiastic, and impersonal salut ations to avoid. The list of the top four is:Dear Sir or Madam (impersonal)To Whom It May Concern, (overly formal, impersonal)Hey! or Hi [Name]! (Overly enthusiastic)Happy Friday! (Overly enthusiastic; if you must write it, use the next line of the e-mail, not the salutation)

Women on Death Row - Rosie Alfaro

Women on Death Row - Rosie Alfaro Marà ­a del Rosio Alfaro, also known as Rosie Alfaro, is a convicted murderer currently on death row in California for the June 15, 1990, murder of Autumn Wallace, age 9, in Anaheim, California. The Crime In June 1990, Rosie Alfaro was 18 years old, a drug addict and the mother of two and pregnant with twins. She was living in a home in Anaheim with a relative of the father of the twins, which was three blocks from the Wallace home. Alfaro was a high school friend of Autumns older sister April and had stayed with the Wallace family during her second pregnancy. However, in 1989, April began to distance herself from Alfaro, other than to occasionally give her a ride when asked. On June 15, 1990, Autumn was home from school early. The school was having early day and recessed at 2:35 p.m. Autumns mother, Linda Wallace, and April were at work and were not expected home until around 5 p.m. Autumn entertained herself by cutting out paper dolls. On the same day, Rosie Alfaro was busy buying cocaine and heroin and getting high. Her first score was around 11 a.m. and by 2 p.m. she was again out of money and drugs. A friend, Antonio Reynoso, who had been released from prison the previous day, agreed to share his drugs with her if she would agree to share her needle. When his drugs ran out, Alfaro decided that she would rob the Wallaces home to get money for more drugs. Alfaro told Reynoso that she used to live with the Wallace family and that she had left a video cassette recorder at the home and would sell it to him in exchange for drugs. Alfaro, Reynoso, an unidentified man, and Alfaros youngest baby went to the Wallace home. The men and the child waited by the car while Alfaro headed to the house. Autumn answered the door and recognized Alfaro as a friend of her sisters. Alfaro asked if she could use the restroom and Autumn let her come inside. Alfaro then managed to take a knife from the kitchen drawer and then coaxed Autumn into the bathroom. There she stabbed Autumn over 50 times in the back, chest, and head. With Autumn out the way, she went about robbing the house of various electronics, appliances, and clothing. Alfaro later admitted that she knew Autumn would be home alone and she was also aware that Autumn could identify her to the police. The Investigation April Wallace returned home at around 5:15 p.m. and found the door to the house unlocked. When she entered the home she saw that the house was a mess and that there were several items missing. She called out to Autumn, but there was no answer, so she left and went across the street to a neighbors house to wait for her mother to come home. Linda Wallace arrived home around 5:40 p.m. and was told that the house had been burglarized and that Autumn was missing. She went inside the house to search for Autumn and found her dead in the back bathroom. Neighbors told police that they saw a brownish Monte Carlo parked at the Wallace home and that two men, one holding a small child, were standing outside of the car. Police investigators were able to obtain a fingerprint from the Wallace home which matched to Alfaro. Alfaro was brought in for questioning and denied any involvement in the murder. More Evidence Sometime after the murder, Alfaro asked a friend if she could leave a bag of clothing at her house. Alfaro contacted the friend later, asking that she leave the bag outside of her home because she was heading to Mexico early the next day, but she never showed up.Investigators found out about the bag and on inspection found a pair of Aprils boots that had been reported as being stolen and a pair of Alfaros tennis shoes. A warrant for Alfaros arrest was issued and she was brought in for questioning again. Confession In a videotaped session that lasted more than four hours, Alfaro confessed that she alone murdered Autumn and then burglarizing the home. Alfaro was arrested and charged with first-degree murder and burglary. Trial In March 1992 a jury found Rosie Alfaro guilty for the murder of Autumn Wallace. The trial lasted two weeks. Sentencing - The First Penalty Phase During the first penalty phase of the trial childhood friends of Alfaro testified that she grew up in a violent home and that her father was a drunk who abused her mother. They also testified that Alfaro was using drugs as early as the sixth grade and dropped out of school in the seventh grade, at which time she began injecting daily as many as 50 speed balls (a mixture of heroin and cocaine.) Alfaros mother, Sylvia Alfaro, testified that her husband was an alcoholic who often hit both herself and Rosie in front of the other children in the family, and threw the family out of the home during drunken rages. She spoke about her daughters early drug use and her inability to quit. She said that at the age of 14, Rosie was pregnant with her first child. During that same time Rosies father abandoned the family. Who is Beto? Rosie Alfaro also took the stand and testified about her unhappy childhood, her violent father, racial prejudice she suffered at school and about her inability to get off of drugs. She expressed her remorse over the murder of Autumn Wallace, stating that we took your innocent life. With the reference of we the court ruled that she had opened the door to cross-examination regarding what went on during the crime since Alfaro had always insisted that she acted alone. During the cross-examination, Alfaro testified that she did murder Autumn, but did so under pressure from the second unidentified man that had come with her and Reynoso. She referred to the man as Beto but refused to offer any information as to his identity. She also testified that she was high on drugs and out of her head shortly before going to the Wallace home. This time she said that she did not know Autumn would be home and had never planned to harm her. She said that when Beto, who was also high on drugs, saw that Autumn was in the house he became angry and put a knife to Alfaros back and threatened to kill her and her child if she did not stab Autumn. She said she stabbed Autumn a few times, but claimed Beto must have inflicted the remainder of the stab wounds. Alfaro  said that once she came down from her high, she could not believe that Autumn was dead. The prosecutor questioned Alfaro about information regarding the identity of Beto that she had told to a mental health expert that examined her at the request of her lawyers. She testified that she initially told the doctor that the unidentified man was her fathers friend and that his name was Miguel. She then told him that the mans name was Beto and identified him in a photograph and said he had a womans name tattooed on his neck. During questioning of Alfaro and Reynoso the defense suggested that the real identity of Beto was Robert Frias Gonzales, whose nickname is Beto. However, in rebuttal the prosecution questioned Robert Gonzales who denied having anything to do with the murder of Autumn Wallace and who also did not look at all like the man that Alfaro had identified in the picture as being Beto. Unable to identify who Beto was, the jury at the first penalty phase trial was unable to agree on a sentence and the trial court was declared a mistrial. Second Penalty Phase Trial The penalty retrial was held in April 1992 before a new jury. Most of the same witnesses who testified during the first penalty trial, testified again, although this time Rosie Alfaro remained silent. In addition to the original testimony, the defense called an expert criminalist, Marc Taylor, who testified that after examining much of the evidence, that shoe prints found inside and outside the house did not match Alfaros shoes. A deputy sheriff at the Orange County jail testified for the defense about a person he saw who resembled the picture that Alfaro had identified as being Beto getting into a blue Camaro parked across the street from the main jail. Dr. Consuelo Edwards who was the mental health expert that Alfaro had first told about Beto forcing her to murder Autumn also testified for the defense. He said that Alfaros intellectual functioning was borderline, and that she had an IQ of 78 and learning disabilities that were made worse by her traumatic childhood. He described her as a follower. In rebuttal, the prosecutor had several Orange County jail employees testify about Alfaros poor behavior in jail and quoted comments that they had overheard her saying to another inmate. They testified hearing her say, Im a frustrated person who takes things out on people, and have to learn to live with that, and Im not going to be able to do this again. Im no actor. Im going to be cold this time. I just want to get this over with. Orange County investigator Robert Harper testified that Robert Frias Gonzales, who the defense claimed was Beto and the second man with Alfaro on the day of the murder, had a butterfly tattoo on his neck and not a womans name, which is what Alfaro had described. On July 14, 1992, the second penalty phase jury sentenced Rosie Alfaro to death. In August 2007, the Supreme Court of California denied Rosie Alfaros request for a stay of execution. Marà ­a del Rosio Alfaro is the first woman ever sentenced to death in Orange County.