Email Etiquette vs Instant Messaging Etiquette

Developers should learn email etiquette to improve communication with team members, managers, and clients, reducing errors and enhancing productivity in projects meets developers should learn instant messaging etiquette to collaborate effectively in remote or hybrid teams, where instant messaging is a primary communication tool. Here's our take.

Email Etiquette

Nice Pick

Developers should learn email etiquette to improve communication with team members, managers, and clients, reducing errors and enhancing productivity in projects

Pros

• It is crucial for remote or distributed teams where email is a primary communication tool, and for handling sensitive topics like bug reports, code reviews, or project updates professionally
• Related to: communication-skills, professionalism

Cons

• Specific tradeoffs depend on your use case

Instant Messaging Etiquette

Developers should learn Instant Messaging Etiquette to collaborate effectively in remote or hybrid teams, where instant messaging is a primary communication tool

Pros

• It is crucial for reducing interruptions, managing notifications, and conveying technical information clearly, especially in agile workflows or when coordinating on projects like code reviews or incident responses
• Related to: remote-collaboration, agile-methodologies

Cons

• Specific tradeoffs depend on your use case

The Verdict

These tools serve different purposes. Email Etiquette is a concept while Instant Messaging Etiquette is a methodology. We picked Email Etiquette based on overall popularity, but your choice depends on what you're building.

The Bottom Line

Email Etiquette wins

Based on overall popularity. Email Etiquette is more widely used, but Instant Messaging Etiquette excels in its own space.