Unanswered emails are one of my top pet peeves, one that I simply do not understand. How much effort does it take to hit "Reply" and type "Got it"?? Are the non-responders that busy? Or are they arrogant? Or thoughtless? Rude? No manners? No common sense? Or a******s? My take is yes for all, excepting too busy. Would they ignore a question if it was asked in person? Why have email if you are not going to converse as you would if the person was speaking to you?
I could make a very detailed Wall of Shame, but for now, I will stick with some generalities. The Boulder Daily Camera lists email addresses for its various editors, but I have yet to get a response to a question regarding the change in the daily reports of gold and silver prices. A few of my Pepperdine colleagues are notorious non-responders. I have given up on a couple of them. I would email a link to this post to them, but I doubt that they would bother to read it. I have emailed some entertainers who provide a Contact on their web pages, but I guess they only respond if you want to pay them to perform. I have sent copies of articles that I have written to people who have requested materials, without acknowledgement of receipt.
The least the chronic non-responders should do is set up an auto-reply. That would be one step up from the implied message - "You are not important enough to me that I would take the time to reply." For 2015, I plan on keeping all of the unanswered email queries in a file for the post Wall of Shame - 2015.
I answer mine, except the one's that close with, "Forward this to 10 people within five minutes or you will die."
ReplyDeleteI have found that nationally syndicated columnists will respond to personal email. When I have commented positively on an article they have written, they will write back with a thanks, and often add a personal comment. Not so with the local news reporters at the local newspaper. They will totally ignore you. Maybe that is why they are locals for life and not nationally syndicated.
ReplyDeleteBB - totally agree with the "Forward to 10 people...." sentiment. I think that I did it once in relationship to a favorite quote thing - a pyramid that was supposed to get you 100 quotes. Got one.
ReplyDeleteBB - interesting about the national folks. Never have emailed one; have had a few responses from local columnists.
ReplyDeleteThese are the one’s I’ve emailed and all wrote kind responses. Rich Lowry of National Review, Jeffrey Lord of American Spectator, Clarice Feldman of American Thinker, Gregg Easterbrook of ESPN, and Kevin McCullough of Town Hall.
ReplyDeleteBizzy - an impressive list. Also tells us a bit about what you read :-)
ReplyDelete