Seth Godin explains (by the numbers) how to send a personal email. My three favorites from his list:

• Just because you have someone’s email address doesn’t mean you have the right to email them.
• Don’t mark your email urgent. Urgent to you is not urgent to me.
• Be short. The purpose of an email is not to sell the person on anything other than writing back. If you don’t have a personal, interesting way to start a conversation, don’t write.

Do I have the balls to forward Seth’s list to those who violate these simple rules? No, probably not.