If someone you know well, a close friend or family member, sends you an email do you reply? Answer truthfully now.
Do you reply every time? When to you shine them on? Do you ever ignore requests?
“Hey Reginald, could you read this bit and tell me what you think? I’m curious about this website, what do you think? I’m asking all my close associates, what do you think about me moving to New Zealand? Do you have any recommendations for the type of car I should buy?”
What I’m referring to are questions which might be solicitations for your opinion, or recommendations. Or just broad questions regarding what you may or may not know anything about.
Do you answer them?
Me? I always reply. Even if that reply is a “Received — will take a look and reply if I can contribute.”
Others? Well, that’s the prompt for this essay. I’ve been looking for beta readers for various writings of mine. Recently, when I’ve offered the pieces to those I’m sure would be courteous enough to at least reply — nothing. Silence.
What is wrong with you people? Has the world taken the concept of email and turned it into junkmail? Just because email has the word MAIL in it doesn’t automatically mean you treat receipts as trash if you don’t care for the subject matter.
Email is more like a single duplex communication channel. You know, a Walkie-Talkie.
“Reginald, come in Reginald. Over.”
“……”
“WTF Reggie! I know you’re there. I know your radio is turned on. Why won’t you reply? You’re still my brother, cousin, close friend aren’t you?”
Do you treat email like a discard-able communication medium? Like, most email, even from friends and relatives, is junk, trash you can cast into the rubbish bin?
Anonymole - apocryphal agitators 
I may have to write a short story…
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I used to think that you have to reply to everything. But people really don’t – and that doesn’t mean they are ignoring you, fascinatingly. They might want to talk to you later about that same thing. So after a while, I also stopped replying to a lot of stuff.
At the same time, it is a reflection on the depth of your relationships. You know those people who have tons of friends? They are constantly on the phone/email etc writing to them. You get what you give.
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There is a frequency factor here too. I rarely send email, I rarely receive email from close associates (reclusive loner-panther I’m afraid). And so, on the rare occasions when email is exchanged, there are certain expectations that some sort of a reply might be in order.
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“Mole who rarely cried”
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