I admit it, I do it - I find some terribly funny item that must be shared. But, I clean it up first. PLEASE if you forward emails - remember to remove all of the other lists of those who it was sent to in the thread. It's an issue of privacy and respect for those in your lists.
Golden Rule applies here: Do unto others....
Would you want your email forwarded, and forwarded around and around to strangers? Remove it.
When you send your humor, prose, advice and weekly updates, use the BCC field in your email client. If you don't know what that is - FIND OUT. If you use Outlook, Outlook Express, Eudora, Thunderbird, various SmarterMail and webmail programs, do a search in the help area to find how to have it ALWAYS visible when you compose a new message, forward or reply.
This takes me to our other friend, "REPLY ALL" - reply all should have a loud, red/black/white check that pops up, "ARE YOU SURE you want EVERYONE to get this from you?" and then another, "REALLY? Are you SURE?"
REPLY ALL is when you are brainstorming a location for an event, checking to see who is available for an event, who is interested out of your special group in the stroller you want to give away.
REPLY ALL is NOT when you are giving feedback to an individual, an opinion, sounding off, unsubscribing, declining a request or providing a quote.
Shame on the person who did not BCC you and the others in the email when it is NOT appropriate to REPLY ALL.
These tools are easy and easy to misuse. Please choose them wisely and you will have fewer people blocking you from their lists and servers.
Here's a fun story from AdAge regarding REPLY ALL/BCC and a PR campaign gone awry >>
I particularly liked this comment:
The problem with social media is it requires "SocialSmarts" which, sadly, too many people don't have or don't use.
And, technology makes it so much easier to stick our virtual feet in
our own mouth -- broadly, instantaneously, and publicly. As the old
adage says, "measure twice, 'send' once."
- Corinne
(President, SocialSmarts )
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