Email etiquette

So we've entered a whole new world where anyone can enter your home during all times of the day and night through your computer. They can do it anonymously, whether this is intentional or not, sometimes we don't know. We can hit the "reply all" button, change the subject, erase the content and create a whole new email. But what if some of the people that you replied to don't know who you are, or more specifically, what if their spam blocker alerts them to your presence? Now you become this crazy solicitor that is stalking them...because let's face it, there are crazy people out there that will do anything to get you to answer them or log on to their site.

So what happens when I send out an email to say, 20 people. One of those people hits the button and forwards something to all of the people I originally emailed. They don't know everyone on my list, and all my people don't know them. One of those people doesn't like what they were forwarded and responds. I feel bad because essentially the address came from me. Should I be responsible for keeping their anonymity? Can I do that? I don't think I have the computer skills for that.

Now what if you received something from someone you don't know? You can just delete it. You can open it. You can respond if you want. You can try to figure out who the heck sent you something. Maybe you don't care. Maybe you're sick of all the junk. Maybe you're in a really stinky mood and lash out. It's just like how you react to someone on the phone or a lousy sales person or customer. Unfortunately, I think we all kind of disconnect from what we say through email. It's like we're not really talking to a real person and can say things we'd never say in person. Or maybe we just say something in jest, but the other person doesn't get it because there was no "JK" ("just kidding"...in case it takes you forever to catch on to those savvy new acronyms, like it did me!).

I'm know I've been on both ends of this quandary and am trying to be better. It's easy to send out a mass email requesting help or info. It really gets the job done a lot quicker, you can do it at midnight if you want, and you don't have to wait for people to call you back. That's how I look at it. I've learned to hit the delete button quite well, especially when I get a lot of forwarded mail and am not in the mood to look at it. Heck, it's just like junk mail...if you're in the mood you might peruse it, if not, just toss it!