Last week, we recapped what the tech publications were writing about in 2010. This week, we take a look at ourselves.

Below is a collection of our favorite posts from the past year. Some offer handy tips for getting things done (including iPhone, Excel charting and spelling tips), some offer advice to IT departments on preparing for upgrades and migrations (Windows 7, Office 2007 & 2010), and others look at the future of IT support (“Preparing for the Multiplatform Workplace,” October 2010). And then there’s the unclassifiable evergreen post that reminds you not to pen your e-mails in all caps, unless of course you intend to shout at recipients.

Enjoy the re-read, and happy new year. If you got an iPad in your stocking, we know your 2011 will be happy.

1. What’s in a Name (1-12-2010)
2. Stop Shouting and Other E-Mail Etiquette Tips (2-8-2010)
3. The Workplace Today: On Fake Happiness & Forced Morale-Boosting (3-30-2010)
4. Windows 7: What IT and End-Users Need to Know (4-22-2010)
5. 4 Spelling Tips Every Manager Should Know (5-27-2010)
6. 7 Productivity Boosting iPhone Tips (6-15-2010)
7. 3 Excel Tips that Promise Charting Greatness (8-4-2010)
8. Preparing for the Multiplatform Workplace (10-8-2010)
9. iPad & iPhone in the Enterprise: What’s Your Plan (11-15-2010)
10. Teaching People Tech (12-17-2010)

Jenny Sweeney Lists, Year in Review Etiquette, Excel, iPad, iPhone, Office 2010, Windows 7

E-mail has revolutionized communication. It enables us to connect with people as far away as Tokyo and Sydney in a split second, and helps us be more productive. But it also has enormous potential to offend, anger, bombard, confuse and overwhelm its recipients. After all, it doesn’t have the benefit of body language, tone of voice, and other distinctly human elements that are necessary for message context.

Your best defense against a message recall failure is to reread your message before you send it.

Although we should all know proper e-etiquette by now, a gentle reminder is needed now and again. (See this article, which illustrates how much damage a hastily sent e-mail can cause.) Below are a few timeless tips for keeping your communication professional and not at all offensive to your colleagues. (Tips are for Outlook versions 2000-2007, except where noted otherwise.)

Reply to All with Care

By MaryHazel McDermott

Reply to All is an option available in Outlook and many other e-mail programs that should be used sparingly. When you use Reply to All, you may be sending your message to scads of people who do not even need the information. Read more…

Jenny Sweeney Etiquette, How To all caps, CIO, Etiquette, message recall, Outlook, reply to all