I received an email late yesterday from my tax company asking me to clarify a few things. One question was simply an address confirmation, one was about costs, and the last one was something that is hard to write, and better if I talk about it. I started the reply email thinking how to approach the third question and how I’d write about it, but abandoned the idea.
How do you approach email? I see it as a resurrection of the lost art of letter writing. I know people lament the passing of writing notes on actual paper, and receiving something in the mail besides bills and junk mail that you only peruse to see if the Big 5 is having a sale on sneakers or other exercise equipment. (Sure, maybe I flip through the Pennysaver too but that’s a whole ‘nuther blog.) But I enjoy writing emails.
I write emails to people easily. Sometimes it’s just replying to previous notes, sharing ideas and jokes. (Note: But I don't send multi-forwarded crap. I may have seven years bad luck for not continuing on forwards from friends/relatives.) Often, I will jumpstart conversations that way. My thought process is this: emails can’t hurt. Write something, hit send -- it can’t hurt. Of course, I suggest treating emotional issues on a more personal level, like talking. Getting bad news via email or text is not the way to go.
Discretion is needed of course. Don’t hit reply all -- in fact, why do they have reply and reply all so close together? Know your buttons! I can honestly say after 11 years of being online and having an email address, I’ve never written a reply all email without knowing exactly who would read my missive.
But I enjoy this communication. If letter writing is “lost,” the idea behind it, of sharing personal notes, is not. I also enjoy talking to people on the phone too. I think there’s a line where I’d rather talk to someone than write an email, so I pick up the phone.
I have a friend who tells me he reads all my emails, and enjoys them. But he never replies and writes back. So that’s a one-way email. Much like writing Aunt Barnes with a thank you note when I was a kid. I don’t mind the non-repliers- I take that into account when I write them. If they complain they don’t hear from me anymore, tough cookies. But I can be difficult to shut up and like to share my brilliance with others, so there’s that too.
I have a client who can’t stand that conversations go on in email with all sorts of replies, copying him. So he won’t read his email all the time. If I send him correspondence, in order to get his attention I have to call him and say “check your email” then wait for him to view the jpg/information and give feedback. Obviously the client is NOT a Blackberry addict. Nor am I.
Since I am middle aged, you notice I haven’t even touched on texting. I’ve done it a few times. Again, best to know whom you’re communicating. When I went to a convention last October, it was the preferred method of information. But I rolled my eyes several times, thinking out loud just call me instead. If I know someone and just want to send a key piece of info, I can see the benefits of texting. But sometimes texting takes a bit too much effort instead of a phone call.
Football Sunday 10am is a pretty clear cut text message. But in a phone call, you can ask “Whose going to bring bagels? Do you have any beer? I’m not drinking your lame-ass Snapple” etc. That’d take up too much typing time on my cell. Plus, I’m not that good at being concise, which is why free form writing from me can run over 600 words very easily.
1 comment:
Well, as you probably realized from my jaunt in LA, I'm a serial texter. I'd much rather text or email than talk on the phone-- I hate the phone. Detest it. Funny that I spent so much time on it when I was a teenager.
Really, the only thing I use my phone for now is texting, and of course having voicemail for people to leave messages. I rarely answer my phone, and I never leave the volume on-- it's perpetually on vibrate.
As for email, I like replying to them, but have to be in the mood. I like getting them, but often find it difficult to respond in kind because I'm not necessarily much of a talker. That, too, is more of a recent development. I'm just generally quiet/more of a private person than I used to be, so that ends up meaning that I talk a lot less. Which, yknow, makes for boring emails.
Nice entry!
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