R U Kidding Me? E-mail Etiquette
Here is an e-mail I received at my Pet Set address recently: r u around this wk? I was insensed, no greeting, no salutation, no details and no etiquette!
I could never send a note like that to someone (especially to her business address!) and expect to be taken seriously.
I’m assuming this person was text messaging me from her cell phone. Text messaging has mutilated our language into an unispired collection of abbreviations and acronyms. You know this is coming, the Motorola Shakespeare series: 2 b or not 2 b.
When I see commercials for text messaging, I always feel as if I am the most uncool person on the planet because I think text messaging is moronic and should only be used by 8 year old girls, who want to reach mom for a lift home from Jennie’s house.
Come on people, have we become so self-important and busy that we can’t write a proper note to people? I envision that someday, through the blessings of technology, we won’t even have to speak to one another.
letz gt sum manners.
Photo from Motorola
Oh yeah, I used to be against this medium. Yet again, we are living in a warp speed environment. You gotta embrace change, before the world changes you.
Milo, I know you are correct…and I probably wasn’t expecting such an e-mail…but don’t you think there is a way to have warp speed and etiquette at the same time?
Maybe we need to have someone re-write the rules a bit.
Thank you so much for offering your comment.
KB
your site has great content.
Oh…thank you jonathan…I hope so, I try to make it fun and relevant.
Yesss!!! Thank you for addressing one of my biggest pet peeeves. I cannot stand text messaging. To the extent where it hasn’t worked on my phone for like a year and a half and I haven’t bothered to fix it.
I go straight to the point as much as the next time-challenged worker, but I would never, ever send an email without a proper greeting and salutation. It really is a matter of simple and crucial ‘politesse’.
Thanks Karine,
Proper etiquette has really dwindled. I wish someone would write a book on proper etiquette for the 21st century.
Just wait for the day that phones will interpret your voice and type the text message for you. Yes – you use your phone to speak a message to someone! Amazing.
Actually, txt Shakespeare sounds like an awesome idea.
2b or nt 2b, dat iz de q.
Hi Matt,
Actually, I was having this discussion last night and included podcasts as part of the topic…soon we won’t ever have to speak in person to one another again.
Didn’t I read somewhere a while back (I think on one of the b5 media blogs, too!) that Shakespeare is actually going to be headed to mobile phones? in an adapted format? I think it was on Literally Blogging.