What is email to you?
I know I don't get a lot of comments here, but I wanted to throw out a question and see what responses I get. So please, if you have an opinion, let me know.
How do you view email as compared to the phone? Do you expect people to pay close attention to what you say? Do you anticipate a response most of the time? Within an estimated time limit? Does it bother you when people don't write back?
I ask because I often get frustrated by email conversations. And I'm wondering if my expectations are too high, possibly because I'm more "plugged in" than most people.
For example, there are certain people that I can email and almost never hear back from. Even though I know by now that when I email them that I shouldn't expect a response, it still bugs me when I don't get one. For me, I view email the same as the phone in terms of expecting a conversation to be reciprocal. Otherwise, to me, it feels like I typed a message (sometimes a very thought out one) and rocketed it to an uncharted, unpopulated planet. Or worse, the person I sent it to read it and then deleted it.
Additionally, I find that people often don't actually read the emails I send and yet they send responses back. This happens all the time at work. I know it's not only me who has to deal with this, right?
I'll send out a very detailed email (which I always read over briefly for errors) either to initiate communication or in response to a request. At least 1 out of 10 times, the responder will ask me something which I've already stated (very clearly) in the email I sent. I almost don't feel like I should have to reply yet again with the same answer, but I always do. It is such a waste of my time to put energy into composing an email only to find out that not only did the recipient not read it carefully, but now I waste my time again because I have to email them the same information twice.
In terms of response time, I don't think I'm especially anal. I realize it's email. I don't generally start to wonder where my response is until at least a few days go by, and depending on the person I'm emailing of course (and assuming we're talking about personal emails. Work emails are different by nature.)
Maybe I'm touchy, but I'm tired of putting effort into something that very few other people seem to. (In multiple areas of my life, actually. But I'm not expounding on that.)
Do you have any "rules" or expectations when it comes to email? Do you get frustrated like me? Or am I just too demanding and sensitive? Seriously, be honest. I can take it.
How do you view email as compared to the phone? Do you expect people to pay close attention to what you say? Do you anticipate a response most of the time? Within an estimated time limit? Does it bother you when people don't write back?
I ask because I often get frustrated by email conversations. And I'm wondering if my expectations are too high, possibly because I'm more "plugged in" than most people.
For example, there are certain people that I can email and almost never hear back from. Even though I know by now that when I email them that I shouldn't expect a response, it still bugs me when I don't get one. For me, I view email the same as the phone in terms of expecting a conversation to be reciprocal. Otherwise, to me, it feels like I typed a message (sometimes a very thought out one) and rocketed it to an uncharted, unpopulated planet. Or worse, the person I sent it to read it and then deleted it.
Additionally, I find that people often don't actually read the emails I send and yet they send responses back. This happens all the time at work. I know it's not only me who has to deal with this, right?
I'll send out a very detailed email (which I always read over briefly for errors) either to initiate communication or in response to a request. At least 1 out of 10 times, the responder will ask me something which I've already stated (very clearly) in the email I sent. I almost don't feel like I should have to reply yet again with the same answer, but I always do. It is such a waste of my time to put energy into composing an email only to find out that not only did the recipient not read it carefully, but now I waste my time again because I have to email them the same information twice.
In terms of response time, I don't think I'm especially anal. I realize it's email. I don't generally start to wonder where my response is until at least a few days go by, and depending on the person I'm emailing of course (and assuming we're talking about personal emails. Work emails are different by nature.)
Maybe I'm touchy, but I'm tired of putting effort into something that very few other people seem to. (In multiple areas of my life, actually. But I'm not expounding on that.)
Do you have any "rules" or expectations when it comes to email? Do you get frustrated like me? Or am I just too demanding and sensitive? Seriously, be honest. I can take it.