Do you respond to positive emails?

[GBNF]

Hi all,

I wrote a big Sunday centerpiece story that has elicited tons of positive feedback, particularly in my work inbox.

Do you respond to positive emails as well as negative ones?
I just spent a while responding to every one, cutting and pasting my response, a brief thank you.

You?

 

[budcrew08]

Hi all,

I wrote a big Sunday centerpiece story that has elicited tons of positive feedback, particularly in my work inbox.

Do you respond to positive emails as well as negative ones?
I just spent a while responding to every one, cutting and pasting my response, a brief thank you.

You?

Oh yeah. You have to respond to both. Responding to positive ones are a lot easier than negative ones. :)

 

[mustangj17]

Yep. Always good to thank the readers.

 

[Den1983]

If a reader takes time to email me, I'll always respond. Period. They could praise me to no end or rip me to shreds, I'll always write back. Atleast they care enough to write.

 

[RickStain]

If a reader takes time to email me, I'll always respond. Period. They could praise me to no end or rip me to shreds, I'll always write back. Atleast they care enough to write.

This.

 

[Ace]

Respond nicely to them. Ask where they work and if they are hiring.

 

[anotherjrcsurvivor]

Yes, I respond to positive emails. Also make it a point to include that it's so rare to hear something other than negative email that it's really appreciated. Consider that a passive-aggressive attempt to make them think twice before sending negative email next time they're moved in that direction.

 

[NightHawk112005]

I try to respond to all of them. If they take the time to write me, I should write back.

 

[silvershadow1981]

Always.

 

[finishthehat]

Not playing thread police, but some suggestions here:

http://www.sportsjournalists.com/forum/threads/72028/

 

[wisportswriter]

Why I come here:

Respond nicely to them. Ask where they work and if they are hiring.

 

[Bob Slydell]

I always respond to both.

It's nice when someone recognizes what you've done an appreciates it. We take enough crap from people, I always thanks the positive ones for the kind words.

Most of them write that they know we mostly get negative stuff, so they'd write something nice.

 

[PeteyPirate]

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

 

[Wenders]

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

The negative ones I was always taught to delete.

 

[Screwball]

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!"

 

[Smallpotatoes]

Thank you, glad you enjoyed it.

 

[Moderator1]

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 dip**** 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.

 

[JakeandElwood]

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 dip**** 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.

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

 

[Den1983]

I do, however, detest callers who *****, 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?

 

[HanSenSE]

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.