Small Case Preferred Over All CAPS? | Business Email Etiquette

A site visitor writes:

I actually just wanted to make a suggestion for the folks who use caps lock because they can’t use the shift key: just leave your whole message in lowercase. It may look a little “casual,” but most people will still prefer it over all caps. Just a thought.

For business e-mail, there really is no reason to not capitalize sentences properly and to communicate as an educated professional. While I can tell by the e-mails I receive on a daily basis that not everyone agrees with that analogy, one has to keep in mind that when it comes to your business e-mail, perception is the only reality.

Hitting the shift key requires very little effort. Unless you are handicapped, not hitting the shift-key is the epitome of lazy. Those who are not proficient typers may find having to hit the shift key as a PIA, but in the long run you will be taken more seriously and viewed more professionally by making this minuscule effort.

For those who are unable to use the shift key for physical reasons, simply add a little note as part of your signature file that is appended to every e-mail. For example:

Sincerely,
Jane Doe

P.S. Please excuse my typing in all lower case. My arthritis is such that hitting the shift key is unbearable. Thank you for your understanding…

As you can tell, communicating why you do certain things can make all the difference in the world. You won’t be viewed as lazy or unprofessional if you are literally in pain.

Not wanting to take the time to communicate properly, however, isn’t a very good excuse nor should it be an option.

Can anyone tell me an acceptable scenario where you wouldn’t use proper sentence structure and case in your business e-mail communications?