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Do you respond to positive emails?

Discussion in 'Journalism topics only' started by GBNF, Aug 20, 2009.

  1. PeteyPirate

    PeteyPirate Guest

    If it's a chick, I ask her to send a pic.
     
  2. Wenders

    Wenders Well-Known Member

    I respond to the positive ones, maybe because I get so few.

    The negative ones I was always taught to delete.
     
  3. Screwball

    Screwball Active Member

    I respond to the negative ones, too. Usually goes something like this:

    "Screwball, you are the biggest idiot. What kind of moron would write ..."

    "Thank you for your note. Perhaps I was not as clear as I could have been in my story. Let me explain why I wrote that ... Thanks for reading."

    "OMG I am so sorry, I had no idea you would actually read my e-mail!"
     
  4. Smallpotatoes

    Smallpotatoes Well-Known Member

    Thank you, glad you enjoyed it.
     
  5. Moderator1

    Moderator1 Moderator Staff Member

    Screwball hit on a good point. You can "disarm" a lot of people by replying. They really don't expect it and it usually softens all but the worst assholes when they realize they're dealing with an actual human.

    I'm actually pretty good friends now with a guy whose first communication with me started with, "Hey you stupid dipshit asshole."

    What I loved to do was call the people who left nasty messages with no name on my voicemail. It gave me a phone number before each call. Some of those reactions were priceless.

    Respond to all, positive and negative. Only exception: If they remain abusive/vulgar after the first response or get threatening. I brought the police in on some e-mails that were sent to one of my columnists.
     
  6. JakeandElwood

    JakeandElwood Well-Known Member

    I've actually gotten fairly good at the disarming thing. That being said, there are some emails that I just won't respond to.
     
  7. Den1983

    Den1983 Active Member

    I do, however, detest callers who bitch, whine and moan and then don't have the balls to leave a number, let alone a name. What are they scared of? That I'll actually respond to their complaint?
     
  8. HanSenSE

    HanSenSE Well-Known Member

    Yeah, Den, I hate those too. But the calls from some little league mom or dad telling us about the championship game of the big tournament in town two hours before it starts (figuring I'll drop everything to accommodate them) are the ones that send me into orbit.

    One thing I've been doing with all emails of late, good and bad (the ones from obvious crackpots or too-doting parents are ignored), is to start them by saying "Thank you for writing." For the good correspondents, it gets them up front and maybe they'll keep sending more tips, and the ones out on another planet, it throws them off.
     
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