EMAILS: READERS WRITE AND MORE COMMENTS

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I recently posted an item on tips and advice on emails, then added some of my own comments and observations. I asked what others thought and very quickly received some responses, which are set out below. It also reminded me of an email bugbear that really p’s me off, which I hadn’t mentioned previously but also do so below.

Thanks to those who responded.

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From Steve M:

My biggest bugbear is when you ask a question or two within an email and people don’t answer the question! Sometimes I even put them in dot point to make it easier, but it makes no difference – still no response.

Patient: People are ignoring me, doctor!

Doctor: Next!

Steve m

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From Philip C:

G’day Otto,

My only addition to your email protocols is more about sensible behaviour than email but here it is …

Never send an email in anger regardless of the provocation. If you need to send a response (1) draft it first 

(2) don’t include the recipients email address on the draft, to prevent accidents 

(3) delete your draft after 24 hours and call the intended recipient.

My very best regards my friend 😊

Philip

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From Sandy J:

I agree wholeheartedly with the email etiquette.

I hate using Dear Mr Smith when responding or writing emails, they might be proper bastards, or paedophiles, serial rapists, the list could go on and on, and I am sending them a nice salutation. It will be Mr Smith in future.

Sandy

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Which brings me to my gripe . . .

• Having been blindsided by it, I hate the use of BCC, which stands for Blind Carbon Copy.

• It means that the sender of an email can include one or more recipients whose identities and presence cannot be seen by the other recipients. In other words, secret invisible recipients who see and read what is happening but only the sender who has included them/him/her is aware.                         

• Normally when you send an email, recipients can see who else received the email because they can see the To and CC fields. But they cannot see the BCC field which means that if you BCC someone on an email, the other people who received the same email will not know.

• Some people have referred to it as digital eavesdropping.

• If you can’t see a BCC function on your toolbar, click on Options, you will find it.

• Some people BCC to themselves for record purposes and archiving.

• It has also been justified to keep email addresses private in group sends.

• So far as I am aware, if a BCC person hits “Reply All”, the BCC person’s identity gets disclosed and every recipient becomes aware of the BCC person’s presence. Hardly the stuff to engender warm fuzzy feelings in the group.

• Call me a fuddy duddy but I think the use of BCC is sneaky and unethical.

• It also reinforces that if you don’t want other people to see it, don’t post it, whether it be an unkind comment or a sex tape.

• I personally think the day will come when photographs of children under 18 will be banned from social media – how many children have been embarrassed by photos they don’t want others to see being dredged up from past sites?

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One final word for the younger readers . . .

The term carbon copy comes from the days before computers, before copiers, when people used typewriters and inserted sheets of carbon paper to make instantaneous multiple copies.