Things That Make Ya Go. . .
Hold The Mail
I get an awful lot of e-mail. Some of it is spam, from smut-site advertisements to "Find Anyone, Anywhere, NOW!," to "Get Your License from the UN." Then there's the generic questions about the issue that can be answered in fairly short order. There are those asking for help, to those asking for detailed information to those offering everything from live Americans (never got one) to dogtags that turn out to be fakes to actual bone chips (I've received 3 via snail mail.)
Then there are contacts that one makes in the issue that takes time to cultivate; to gain a mutual trust of one another.
I try to answer the vast amount of e-mail that I get and spend an average of two hours a day strictly on e-mail. I never seem to get caught up except for the occasional computer crash. . .
Periodically I get e-mail from several folks in the issue requesting that all those on their distribution please "Hold Mail" until such-and-such a time, when they will return from wherever they are going in the first place. I can't tell you why this annoys me so. It just does. Like fingers on a chalk board, "Hold The Mail..." goes through me. There are even a few who, when they get back, send out an e-mail notification that they deleted everything that was sent to them in their absence because someone had the audacity to send them mail when they specifically requested that no one send them anything.
Not to belittle anyone their quirks, but has anyone who has ever asked for their mail to be held, have they ever given any thought to those of us that have a rather large e-mail distribution list? I have just a little over 16,000 on my distribution. Do these folks really think that I have the time to keep updating THEIR e-mail addresses every time they are on the road? (And believe me folks, a few of those making such a request are on the road a lot.)
Have these geniuses ever considered that their e-mail is automatically held until they turn on their computers and download for them to read at their leisure? Now I don't want to get off on a rant here, but to those that have the audacity to delete things that were sent to them in violation of the Hold Mail code, what makes you think that I or anyone would resend you something because you e-mail us advising that you deleted what was sent to you in the first place? I delete YOU from my database and if you don't get a mailing that I send out, Oh Well.
I know that I sound pretentious, but it actually happened. Someone asked me for information that took me time to compile and as they said getting an answer as quickly as possible was important, I sent them their answer inviolation of the Hold Mail code. When they got back, they sent me an e-mail asking me to resend since they deleted it from their mailbox due to that violation. You can imagine what they got back from me. . .
Now look, I am not trying to offend anyone, but I take offense to someone telling me that I violated a Hold Mail code when I do not plan my mail around anyone's schedule. YOU e-mailed me asking for information. Now you're going to dictate when I should answer??? I sure don't keep a 120 Day Planner in my home office or my place of business with notations that So-and-So is on the road to such-and-such.
It is up to each of us whether or not we read the mail that we get. It is up to us to respond, delete, trash, reject, accept, act on, print out, paper our walls, or do whatever it is we do with the e-mail we get. But why tell folks to hold mail when that mail is automatically on hold until YOU download it? YOU have the power. You have the power to read it when YOU want to read it. And if you should delete it, why offend someone by actually e-mailing them and telling them that yolu trashed it because they violated some sort of arbitrary rule that makes about as much sense as the government telling us they are truly working to get a live American home?
So for all of those that do not want e-mail when they are on the road, I say be careful what you wish for. You might just get it. On the road and otherwise . . .
What's your opinion? Let us know by writing to the editor.
The Legal Stuff
The material contained within The Moonduster Chronciles, the official Newsletter ("NEWSLETTER") of Operation Just Cause ("OJC") is the sole responsibility of the Editor unless otherwise indicated by a name and email address. Submissions of original work, including those written by the Editor, in all issues of "The Moonduster Chronicles" do not necessarily represent the views of Operation Just Cause, the Operation Just Cause Management, Operation Just Cause Staff or the membership of Operation Just Cause. By necessity, all submissions become the property of Operation Just Cause and The Moonduster Chronicles. Comments, criticisms and points of view are welcome. Please send them to: NL@ojc.org
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