A Friendly Guide to Emailing Me

Thank you for taking a moment to read this. The goal here isn't to create strict rules, but to foster clearer, more efficient, and more pleasant communication for everyone involved.

Core Principles

Prefer Plain Text

Sending emails as plain text instead of HTML ensures they are readable on any device, load instantly, and are more secure. It removes distracting formatting and focuses on what's most important: the message itself. Most email clients have an option to switch to "Plain Text Mode." You can learn more at useplaintext.email.

Craft a Clear Subject Line

A good subject line is a summary of your email. It provides context and helps with searching for our conversation later.

Reply Inline, Not On Top

When replying to a message with multiple points, it's incredibly helpful to write your answers directly below each question. This keeps the context of the conversation intact and makes it much easier to follow than if you were to write a single block of text at the top.

A Note on Security & Identity

PGP Signatures are Encouraged

In a world of spam and phishing, verifying that a message truly came from the sender is valuable. I welcome and recommend using PGP signatures to sign your emails. A valid signature confirms your identity and lets me know the message hasn't been tampered with. It's a great habit for professional and academic communication.

Encryption is Optional

While signatures are for identity, encryption is for privacy. If our conversation involves sensitive information, I am happy to communicate via PGP-encrypted email. For most topics, however, it isn't necessary.

My public key and fingerprint are 2B1C 768E 9E93 06F1 9687 5BBD 5B69 E26B 4419 C682