"How May I Ignore You Today?"

There is no difference between business ethics and personal ethics… for there is nothing more personal than how you treat others in business.  The two cannot be separate.

Over the years, with the advancement of technology, we have lost a certain element of that personal touch.  In front of our computer screens we don’t feel a firm handshake or see the sparkle in the other person’s eyes as they greet you with a smile.  Behind our computer screens, we are forced to guess at intonation and intention; and it is often difficult.  At the same time, technology allows us to communicate faster and more frequent.  Questions can be answered in a matter of minutes.  Contacts are organized and easy to find.  No more manual digging through an address book.  No more answering a phone without knowing who is calling.  Information is at our fingertips, allowing us to navigate our way through life without ever having to pull out a Rally’s road map and spread it across the dashboard.  No more waiting for film to be developed so you can see if you got a good picture.  Results are now instantaneous… and so are expectations. 

With advancement comes a whole set of new challenges.  Today I want to talk about email in particular…

If I walked into your office and sat down in front of you and said, “I need help.”  Would you spin your office chair so that your back was to me and ignore the fact that I was sitting there?   Of course you wouldn’t… but when you don’t respond to an email that is asking for help, you have done just that.

If I stopped you in the hallway to ask you a question, would you turn your head away from me and keep walking, ignoring the fact that I am standing there?  Of course not…but when you don’t respond to an email that has posed a question, you have done just that.

In our world today, email has replaced a great deal of our face-to-face communication.  Whether you think this is right, wrong or indifferently doesn’t matter…it is a fact we cannot avoid.  The rules are simple:  If you would not ignore a person standing in front of you then you should not ignore an email they have sent to you.  That email represents them sitting in your office asking you for help.  That email represents them reaching out to shake your hand and introduce themselves.  That email represents a personal smile or a heartfelt tear.  Whatever the case may be, in today’s world of technology, ignoring an email is as rude as turning your back on someone who is standing right in front of you.

Some people seem to think a lack of time is a justifiable reason to not respond; but this is unacceptable behavior.  Everyone has time to acknowledge the receipt of an email.  If there isn’t time to answer the question or type the necessary response, then simply type:  “I’ve read your email and will get back to you shortly.”  Then, make certain that you flag it and respond when it is more convenient for you.  This is acceptable.  The important thing is that you have acknowledged the person’s presence.  It would be like me popping my head into your office and asking a question, to which you would respond, “I have a meeting right now, but let’s discuss it later this afternoon.”  Perfectly acceptable.

Responses are validation.  A simple acknowledgment is all that is needed.

When there is no response, and particularly when emails are continually ignored, it sends a definitive message.  It says, “I don’t care about your issue.”  It says, “You’re not important enough for me to take the time to respond.”  It says, “Go away.” 

No response speaks volumes.  It hurts feelings.  It belittles.  It degrades.  It sends a message you would never send in a face-to-face setting… so why, then, do you think it is okay in a virtual setting?

Between my personal email, my author email, and my FB inbox mail, I receive anywhere from 150-200 emails every day.  I don’t respond to the ones who are trying to sell me something or to the group emails… but I do respond to every single personal email sent to me.  I don’t always feel like it and I don’t always have time, but I do it because I never want to make someone feel like they aren’t important or that they do not matter.  Email is no different than if you walked into my office and sat in the chair across from me.  I would not ignore you in person and I will not ignore you online. 

There should be no difference between how you would treat someone in person and how you treat them online.  Is your business model "How May I Help You Today?" or "How May I Ignore You Today?" ~

Email From Hell

Getting an email address correct can be life altering...if not for you, for someone you may not even know...

 

A Minneapolis couple decided to go to Florida to thaw out during a particularly icy winter. They planned to stay at the same hotel where they spent their honeymoon 20 years earlier.

Because of their hectic lifestyle, it was difficult to coordinate their travel schedules. So, the husband left Minnesota and flew to Florida on Thursday, while his wife planned to fly down the following day.

The husband checked into the hotel. There was a computer in his room, so he decided to send an email to his wife. However, he accidentally left out one letter in her email address, and without realizing his error, sent the e-mail.

Meanwhile, somewhere in Houston , a widow had just returned home from her husband's funeral. He was a Baptist minister who was called home to glory following a heart attack.

The widow decided to check her e-mail expecting messages from relatives and friends. After reading the first message, she screamed  and fainted.

The widow's son rushed into the room, found his mother on the floor, and saw the computer screen which read:

 

To: My Loving Wife

Subject: I've Arrived

Date: March 2, 2013

I know you're surprised to hear from me. They have computers here now and you are allowed to send emails to your loved ones. I've just arrived and have been checked in.

I've seen that everything has been prepared for your arrival tomorrow. Looking forward to seeing you then! Hope your journey is as uneventful as mine was.

P. S. Sure is hot down  here!!!

May It Never Be Me

 I am still playing catch-up with regards to my 2012 email responses.  I have approximately 60-70 flagged emails awaiting my response and then I will begin tackling the 2013 ones.  Today I came across an email from a woman I do not personally know, but with whom I am Facebook “friends.”

This is what she wrote:

“Dear Susan, I think you should re-do your blog because it is not cohesive and since you are an author I would think you would want your blog to read more eloquently and flow smoothly.  Your topics appear random and jump subjects daily.  It is confusing for readers.”

The audacity of human beings never ceases to amaze me. 

I read numerous blogs every week and never once have I sent the writer an email voicing my opinion of the manner in which their blog is styled.  I haven’t and I wouldn’t. 

Now, I realize we live in the land of free speech, which entitles each individual the liberty to voice his or her opinion.  I do love our freedoms; however, unless someone specifically asks your opinion of their blog, page, website, partner, hair, weight or anything else in life, a good rule of thumb is to keep quiet. 

Despite the rude nature of the action itself, the email-er was correct; my blog does jump from topic to topic.  What I write about on Monday will most likely have nothing to do with what I post on Tuesday.  What can I say...welcome to my random world.

See, my life isn’t organized into topics or compartmentalized into neat little categories.  I’m usually flying by the seat of my pants, one idea running into the next, schedules constantly overlapping…. I don’t live an orderly lifestyle so my blog cannot reflect one.

I blog about things happening in the moment, things I’ve been studying, and things that interest me.  I blog about exercise, religion, sex, love, cults, friendship, humor, food, children, pets, romance, emotion, depression, books and God.  In essence, I blog about my world and the things that concern or affect me.  That’s why this is my blog and not yours.

Even if I wanted to I couldn’t organize it for you… for my thoughts are as random and ever-changing as the wind.  I don’t know what I’ll feel like writing from one moment to another, no more than I know what food I will crave from one meal to the next.  My world is that fickle and I like it that way. 

Life isn’t a controlled substance… it’s a wild, spontaneous ride.  There are ups and downs and twists and turns and anything goes….so why should I limit my written blog experiences to only a few topics?  Why would I want to take the excitement of living and dull it down by applying a set of limits?

I’d rather be random than boring.  Random feels open, limitless and free.   Boring is...well, may it never be me.     ~

Blog Q&A With a Prize Giveaway

I'll be honest...I'm not the best blogger in the world.  In fact, truth be known, I hate blogging.  Every time I sit down at my computer to blog, a wave of frustration rushes over me.  I stare at the blank screen, growing more and more edgy and irritated.  What should I write?  I mumble to myself.

Here's the problem:  I don't think my daily life is all that entertaining to think that anyone would want to engage in reading about it on a regular basis.  I realize blogging is all part of marketing-my-books, and that readers want to feel like they know the author better; but it seems like a waste of valuable novel-writing time, doesn't it? Wouldn't readers rather I finish the next novel than know that I got up this morning at 6:30am, took the kids to school, threw in a load of laundry and re-heated my coffee five times because I kept setting it down and walking away? Are my personal hygiene routines really blog-worthy or is it good enough to assume I shave my legs, color the gray from my hair and pluck my eyebrows, and leave it at that? 

Since I am in the process of writing two novels and one short story, and can't come up with good blogging ideas, I'm going to leave the blog topics to my readers.  Tell me what you'd like to know and I promise, unless it gives away a plot from one of my novels, I will blog about it and do my very best to answer your question.

You can either post your topic or question in the comment section below OR email me at:
AuthorSRClaridge@gmail.com   Put "Blog Q&A" in the subject line of your email.

I'll even go a step further.  The first ten people to comment or email will receive a free download of one of my books in any form you would like (pdf, ipad, sony, nook, kindle, etc.).  So, bring on the questions!