Why is it that when it comes to emails, there are no accepted standards? Even though 6 billion emails are sent every day, almost no one agrees about simple things like email etiquette, how to organize a note, or whether emails are considered private or not.

The 99 tips in this article make up the best in email practices:

4.) Don’t forward chain letters. Just don’t do it. Enough said. That includes the email that says that if you don’t forward it to 10 people you’ll die. I don’t care how superstitious you are, don’t send them.

12.) Don’t spam friends. Occasionally, company mail servers go on the fritz and send forty-five copies of the same email to the recipient (personal experience). Even if it’s not your fault, it is polite to apologize profusely to your friend, family, or roommate.

18.) Be brief. Do not send excessively long emails if at all possible. Try to summarize your information so that your recipients are more likely to read the email and actually respond. When possible, break long emails into numbered point form so that recipients can respond by reference number.

44.) GTD – get things done. Don’t move anything from your main inbox into a folder if you haven’t read it yet. It’s likely to stay that way. Read it, respond, and file it. That way, your main inbox holds only unread messages. Or at worst, those you haven’t responded to yet. This makes it easier to “get things done” more efficiently, in terms of email-triggered tasks.

78.) Rule 1 of email privacy: there is no true privacy. Keep that in mind, and write your emails accordingly. (See Exceptions below, under encryption.)

Read the whole list: Hacking Email: 99 Email Security and Productivity Tips