Sarah Palin’s recent nomination as John McCain’s VP in the US presidential election has ignited a firestorm of controversy and flying email political messages. I have my strong opinions on this topic, but will I use this blog to express them? No. It’s not relevant to the purpose of this blog, and you’re reading this for information about business writing, not to hear my political rants.
Similarly, you should not include political statements in your business email signature. In the past four days, I’ve received these statements in the email signature of business messages:
–I’m an Obama Girl.
–Jesus was a community organizer. Pontius Pilate was a governor.
–Hilary Supporter, Voting for Sarah Palin
–McCain/Palin: Better for Business, Better for our Country
–and the more innocuous, Vote ’08
Why should you not exercise your right of free speech in the signature of business email?
–It distracts from the real point of your email, which should be to convey information to a reader so that they will know or do something to advance a business objective.
–Business readers are busy, and you need to streamline your message so they can absorb it quickly. Don’t clutter a message with extraneous information.
–Politics can be a touchy subject, and your message may ignite controversy that harms a business relationship.
Save your political signature for your personal messages, if you wish. Just create multiple signatures and match it to the relevant audience.
