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Short, plain sentences are easier for someone reading in a language
other than their mother tongue. In some parts of the world, the written
language is very formal and quite different from the spoken language.
Therefore, there is an expectation that your written communication
will be formal. For international business e-mail, err on the side of
caution and write in a formal tone. It's easy and natural to progress
from formal to friendly, but it weakens your position to have to step
backwards from friendly to formal.

Regarding age and rank, outside America, people in authority and
older people expect a certain deference from people who approach
them.

Don't spam. Don't send long junk. In North America, freedom is your
highest ideal: in most other parts of the world privacy is held in higher
regard!

Unsolicited e-mail, Junk, and Spamming.

Unsolicited e-mail - or junk e-mail - is the electronic equivalent of
junk postal mail and direct mail selling. Just as junk postal mail is
considered by many to be annoying and wasteful, junk e-mail is more
so. But, at least with postal mail, you can throw the envelope away
unread. With junk e-mail, you have to take time to read it to find that
you didn't want to. It is therefore time-wasting, inconsiderate, and
very bad netiquette.

But business acknowledges that direct mail works! How can you
satisfy the need to get new customers, which by definition must be
strangers to your business, and at the same time be polite. Remember
our first rule: “... show consideration for the other person...”

We hold that any business solicitation can be condensed to one line. It
is unnecessary, counter-productive and quite rude to send 10 pages of
details before confirming that the recipient is interested. See the next
section for a practical example of this.

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