Friday, April 18, 2014

Email Etiquette

Are there rules for email etiquette? For example are you supposed to respond to every email, even with just a thank you to show that you received their email?

The problem with email is that you really don’t know for sure that it was received. It could have gotten lost in cyberspace or ended up in a spam folder.

I hadn’t thought much about this responding thing until something happened earlier this week. A friend from my gym sent me an email suggesting we meet for lunch the next day. She named a time and a place. I responded, agreeing to both.

The next day I was there at the appointed time at the spot she’d chosen, but she was’t After waiting about 15 minutes, I sent her an email on my phone. I didn’t have her phone number or for that matter even her last name even thought I’ve known her for over ten years in a casual way. After another 15 minutes, I sent another email saying that there must have been some kind of mis communication and that I was leaving.

I realized she had never sent an email responding to my email agreeing to the time and place. Perhaps she never got my emails, any of them. It is a day later and I have heard nothing from her. I don’t know whether to worry or blame cyberspace.

Our paths at the gym won’t cross until next Tuesday. I hope I find out what happened. One thing I learned from all this is I’m going to respond to every email even if it is just to confirm that I got theirs or ask them to confirm that they got mine.

Just curious – do you send some kind of response to all email? And then the question comes at one point do you stop replying. Like saying thank you to their thank you to show that you got their thank you.

On another note, I am going to be on the Die Laughing panel along with Connie Archer, Cindy Sample and Stephen Buehler at the Buena Vista Branch of the Burbank Library, 300 Buena Vista St., Burbank, CA next Wednesday at 7:00 pm. Everyone is welcome. It should be fun.

4 comments:

Linda O. Johnston said...

I agree that it's a good idea to reply to those emails where you've got a conversation going on, Betty. There've been times when I haven't gotten a response to one I sent and wondered if my email account wasn't working right--which does happen occasionally. Sorry I probably won't make it to your panel. It sounds fun! But next Wednesday is also World Book Night.

Planner said...

You're right--this is a tricky issue. I do think an acknowledgment to meeting plans is appropriate--and, as you point out, important for peace of mind to know that the message was received. All your friend has to say is "Great! See you there." But, of course, then SHE doesn't know that you received her confirmation! So, now you might want to reply to that confirmation. I guess the correspondence could end there.

I have learned that silence to e-mail does not mean the person is mad at you or didn't like your e-mail. There are all sorts of reasons why people don't respond.

Enjoy Die Laughing!

Betty Hechtman said...

Have fun with World Book Night, Linda.

Betty Hechtman said...

Planner, I guess when it comes to making some kind of arrangements it is better to over confirm than under.