Comments on: About that email: Keep it simple, stupid http://www.technologytranslated.com/2007/12/14/about-that-email-keep-it-simple-stupid/ ArcStone employees / contractors practicing Internet alchemy - translating tech into vision and vision into tech.... Sun, 23 Nov 2008 11:43:34 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.1.2 By: Carrie Downing http://www.technologytranslated.com/2007/12/14/about-that-email-keep-it-simple-stupid/#comment-1307 Carrie Downing Fri, 14 Dec 2007 22:14:05 +0000 http://www.technologytranslated.com/2007/12/14/about-that-email-keep-it-simple-stupid/#comment-1307 Addendum -- You could easily undermine the value of this philosophy by writing really long sentences, such as <a href="http://www.markvirtue.com/sentence.htm" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">this record-busting 5237-word gem</a> written by 15 year old Mark Virtue in 1980. Addendum — You could easily undermine the value of this philosophy by writing really long sentences, such as this record-busting 5237-word gem written by 15 year old Mark Virtue in 1980.

]]> By: Lisa Hirst Carnes http://www.technologytranslated.com/2007/12/14/about-that-email-keep-it-simple-stupid/#comment-1377 Lisa Hirst Carnes Tue, 18 Dec 2007 02:58:42 +0000 http://www.technologytranslated.com/2007/12/14/about-that-email-keep-it-simple-stupid/#comment-1377 How about a complete email How about a complete email

]]> By: Lisa Hirst Carnes http://www.technologytranslated.com/2007/12/14/about-that-email-keep-it-simple-stupid/#comment-1378 Lisa Hirst Carnes Tue, 18 Dec 2007 03:02:45 +0000 http://www.technologytranslated.com/2007/12/14/about-that-email-keep-it-simple-stupid/#comment-1378 How about taking it one step further and declaring a complete email moratorium one day a week? I know we all have experienced "email defeat". Wasn't email supposed to make work easier? How about taking it one step further and declaring a complete email moratorium one day a week? I know we all have experienced “email defeat”. Wasn’t email supposed to make work easier?

]]> By: ET http://www.technologytranslated.com/2007/12/14/about-that-email-keep-it-simple-stupid/#comment-1490 ET Wed, 26 Dec 2007 17:29:07 +0000 http://www.technologytranslated.com/2007/12/14/about-that-email-keep-it-simple-stupid/#comment-1490 I've always been of the opinion that if someone writes me a long email, it's because they have either something important to say or several things to communicate. Skimming or just not reading long emails is rude at best and destructive at worst, since you're obviously missing something, whether it's trivial or vital. I can the thought process behind this, and I would take it one step further: People like this will usually only pick up on one subject per email. In my experience, people who blow off long emails also often remember your first point and ignore the rest. Catering to those who won't take the time to read their correspondence seems like putting a band-aid on a compound fracture; the solution, I think, is patience and (somehow) stopping the cultural ADD which is infecting everything lately. I’ve always been of the opinion that if someone writes me a long email, it’s because they have either something important to say or several things to communicate. Skimming or just not reading long emails is rude at best and destructive at worst, since you’re obviously missing something, whether it’s trivial or vital.

I can the thought process behind this, and I would take it one step further: People like this will usually only pick up on one subject per email. In my experience, people who blow off long emails also often remember your first point and ignore the rest.

Catering to those who won’t take the time to read their correspondence seems like putting a band-aid on a compound fracture; the solution, I think, is patience and (somehow) stopping the cultural ADD which is infecting everything lately.

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