clipped from: www.pcworld.com   

Don't Send That E-Mail (Read This First)

Keep your messages out of the trash with these do's and (especially) don'ts that will get them read.

Don't Be Cute. Do me a favor and save the garish background wallpaper, images of your dog, and unreadable Victorian script
Don't Use Icons.
Don't CC Everyone.
Use a Signature Line.
Use Plain Text.