There does not seem to be a defined protocol [procedures, ethics or etiquette] for the mushrooming growth in the use of electronic mail by the genealogist. Here are some of my thoughts:

• DO give your true name and regular mailing address, along with your email address, in all genealogy related PERSONAL email. It would be helpful if this data was typed in a line that can easily be "pasted" into your source file. [example: John W. Walter, 2375 E. Post St., Pikeville, KY 41501; <jwalter@eastky.com>]. Your queries can end up in a lot of libraries and private collections. With the transitory nature of email addresses, future researchers probably won't be able to reach you. And, when you don't include your address, the receiver has to take the time to look it up, assuming they already have it on file - and assuming it's a message worth saving. Get a utility, such as QuickKeys, and you will save yourself a lot of time: just one keystroke and your full name, address & email address can be typed for you.
• DON'T give just a first name or "handle." Can you ever remember getting regular mail from someone who didn't sign their true name and provide their address? Or, who placed a query in a genealogical journal without doing the same? I guess a genealogy query without a name & mailing address is like a car without tires: "It just ain't going very far." [I usually discard most "anonymous" email messages and rarely respond to "feelers" that do not include the sender's name and regular mailing address.]
• DO limit your email queries to no more than two questions per message (one is better). A long drawn-out narrative with a dozen questions hidden in the text probably won't get answered to your satisfaction - if at all. PLEASE, never ask for "all you have on the [blank] family." That just overwhelms the recipient & your query will most likely be discarded.
• DO Send a copy of the sender's original message when you respond, or at least a part of it so the recipient knows what you are writing about. The AOL browser, in particular, does not [or did not in the past] automatically do this, so AOL subscribers will have to "copy & paste" the original message. This can be done automatically with Netscape Navigator, and Microsoft Explorer. Perhaps the newer versions of AOL will also do this for you.
• DO Include a short message in your email "subject field" so folks will have an idea what the message is about. With the large amount of email many of us get [and AOL, in particular, contains a lot of junk/offensive type mail], we tend to just "trash" those messages with a "subject field" word/message that appears to be commercial in nature - without reading them. At least I do. Don't let your message be among the "trashed."
• DO remember, too, that email & BBS messages can be alpha sorted by name or subject. If you are looking on a BBS for Amos Shumate in Monroe Co., VA, then enter your subject line as either "SHUMATE, Amos.Monroe Co., VA," or "Monroe Co., VA.SHUMATE,Amos." [depending on whether the board is for Surnames or Locations]. Do not enter "Looking for Monroe Co., VA ancestor." [Still lost? You can always use your "Find" utility with your browser.]
• DO watch your spelling, (or, at least give it a good try), especially names of counties and such words as "cemetery" and "genealogy." Having trouble in this area, as many of us have? Don't forget your spelling checker and the handy dictionary found on the Internet.
• DON'T write a long narrative query without a paragraph break. It's just too difficult to read and digest.
• DON'T write messages in ALL CAPS! They are also too difficult to read, except as brief entries used for emphasis.
• DON'T bother the reader with questions that YOU should be able to easily look up. If you are "into genealogy" then you should have a library to help you with common problems. [A good "starter" that all should have is "The Handy Book for Genealogists," by The Everton Publishers, P.O. Box 368, Logan, Utah 84321. They also have a website.]
• DON'T select a "nonsense" email address. I suggest that you select one that others can easily understand and identify with. In genealogy, I would think that the common-sense choice would be your name. Such names as "hotlips," "teetotaler," "funnybunny," "148795me," "AuntSue" and others in the same genre would seem especially inappropriate. Would you bother to answer unsolicited USPS mail signed by "Honey Bunny?" You don't want to be entered in someone's source file as "Honey Bunny" or "Hot Lips" do you? I am personally very prone to discarding all unsolicited email that does not have an easily identifiable name as part of the address.
• DO send a "Thank You" to those who send you material! When folks take the time to send you some information, the return courtesy of a "Thank you" is in order. This should be by private mail and not on a List or Forum. This is especially inappropriate!

If you are not tired of reading, you might want to glance thru the article below:

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Do's and Don'ts of email etiquette:

An article by Mike Langberg, San Jose Mercury News. Mr. Langberg suggests these as being "the essentials":

· DO write a clear, concise subject line for every message. Email without a subject line is hard for recipients to categorize and, as a result, may not get the attention it deserves.

· DON'T attach files to your messages unless you've confirmed in advance the recipient will be able to easily download and open the attachments. Unsolicited attachments can anger recipients because they bog down the process of collecting new mail and hog harddisk space.

· DO check your in box regularly if you're giving your email address to friends or business contacts. It's difficult to carry on an email conversation with people who only collect their messages twice a month.

· DON'T write messages entirely in capital letters. IT'S THE EMAIL EQUIVALENT OF SHOUTING AND IS VERY RUDE. If you want to add emphasis, YOU MAY capitalize one or two words in a sentence.

· DO use correct grammar and spelling in all messages, and always sign your full name at the bottom of the message. Most email programs now contain a spellchecker, leaving no excuse for sending a poorly composed message.

· DON'T engage in "flame wars," the Internet term for volleys of nasty or insulting messages. If you receive flames, ignore them. To protect yourself from accidentally getting flamed, avoid subtle humor and sarcasm that can be easily misinterpreted given email's inherent lack of social or emotional context.

· DO pick up the telephone and make a call if the information you need to convey is critical. Remember, email doesn't always arrive at its destination immediately, and there's no guarantee recipients will check their inbox right away.

· DON'T send a message to a long list of recipients who don't need to hear from you, or sign up others for a regular mailing list without first getting their permission. Also, double check the address on responses to group mailings to make sure you're replying only to the author, not the entire group.

· DO learn about the "blind carbon copy" feature in your email software, which hides the recipient list, and use this feature when sending messages to large groups. No one likes to receive email that begins with several screens full of recipient names.

· DON'T pass along chain letters, even if you're risking several thousand years of bad luck. Email chain letters are both illegal and annoying.

· DO show restraint in quoting from the original message when sending a reply.

Many email programs automatically copy the original's full text into the reply, but you should either erase all the text or only retain small portions that are relevant to your response.

· DON'T create a big "signature" for the bottom of every outgoing message, cluttered with the wisdom of your favorite philosopher or too-cute drawings made from letters of the alphabet. A signature should be no more than five lines, limited to basics such as your name, job title, address and phone number.

For additional information you may also wish to consult the site: http://faq.comcast.net/faq/answer.jsp?name=18014&cat=Newsgroups&subcategory=1

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"I think there is a world market for maybe five computers." --Thomas Watson, Chairman of IBM, 1943