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used, it is safest to reply formally. Men might reply to men with
given names, and women to women, but a man should not reply to
a lady using her first name only unless it is clear that he is invited
to do so, especially internationally.
5. Some business communications quickly take on the flavor of a
personal chat - in which case, first names are appropriate. Others
remain on a formal level - in which case, retain the formal address.
6. Consider age and rank, too, if it can be discerned from the
correspondence. Outside North America, people in a position of
authority and people of mature years expect a certain deference
from their juniors.

The Message.

Correspondents frequently try hard to be brief. This is desirable, but
business messages will usually be longer than personal notes. It is
important, also, to communicate - don't kill understanding with brevity.

When replying, you will often be replying to only part of the received
message. Maintain the thread, by all means, but save space by not
returning the whole message, only the part to which you are replying.

Don't use “smileys” (:-) ;-) :-/ etc.) These are fine for personal notes
but are quite inappropriate for business use. The meaning of your
words should be contained within the words themselves, and not need
additional explanation with funny faces!

International Considerations.

Keep messages short, but do not let meaning suffer.

Niceties are okay, to a point, but don't overdo it. They waste space and
reading time for your correspondent. Furthermore, they are usually
idiomatic and difficult to understand by someone not absolutely fluent
in your language. As mentioned above, people in many countries find
the friendly nature of Americans over-bearing at first encounter, so, be
courteous but go easy with the courtesies.
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