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When Can I Expect an Email Response?

An anonymous reader writes "Ever sit there waiting for an email response and wonder what's going on? Did they get it? Did it get filtered? A study looks at the responding habits of a large group of corporate users. They find, among other things, that users would try to 'project a responsiveness image. For example, sending a short reply if a complete reply might take longer than usual, intentionally delaying a reply to make themselves seem busy, or planning out timing strategies for email with read receipts.' Tit-for-tat, 'Users would try to reciprocate email behaviors -- responding quickly to people who responded quickly to them, and lowering their responsiveness to people who responded slowly to them in the past.'"

11 of 232 comments (clear)

  1. I'm not posting to slashdot... by HotBlackDessiato · · Score: 5, Funny

    ...anymore. you never respond to my comments.

    --
    "If you don't have eyes you shouldn't have wings" -- Carl Pilkington
  2. No no no! by doxology · · Score: 5, Funny

    I just the other day got...an internet was sent by my staff at 10 o'clock in the morning on Friday, I got it yesterday.-Ted Stevens, honorable US Senator from Alasak

    See, it's not that people time e-mails to make themselves look busy, it's that the tubes get full!

    --
    sigfault. core dumped.
  3. Re:Its all individual by RevDobbs · · Score: 5, Insightful
    . . .The little notice they get apparently does not stimulate their curiosity as it does mine. . . . I have one person that will check it each morning and that is it. So if you need an answer before that, you have to call him.

    Which is fine. It means he is concentrating on the task at hand and not being easily distracted.

    If you need an immediate answer, why the hell are you resorting to email? There is no reliable way to even be sure that he received your message, let alone that he is going to read it right away or take the time to addesss it.

    If you need an answer for something, never rely on email. It is great for "please review the attached doc and get back to me by Friday" (if followed up with a phone call before Friday) or "FYI" stuff. But it isn't a substitute for a phone call (which may still be shunted to voice mail), or a physical visit if the person is close enough.

  4. Ob. Beatles by jb.hl.com · · Score: 5, Funny

    you never respond to my comments.

    You only give me your funny mod points...

    --
    By summer it was all gone...now shesmovedon. --
  5. Re:furchin is Out of the Office Today by khasim · · Score: 5, Funny

    Re:Re:furchin is Out of the Office Today
    Re:Re:Re:furchin is Out of the Office Today
    Re:Re:Re:Re:furchin is Out of the Office Today
    Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:furchin is Out of the Office Today
    Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:furchin is Out of the Office Today
    Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:furchin is Out of the Office Today
    Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:furchin is Out of the Office Today
    ***error*** User has exceeded disk quota

  6. Re:read receipts by gEvil+(beta) · · Score: 5, Funny

    I like to copy the text from a read receipt and then send a dozen or so messages containing that text to the sender over the next 30 minutes. : p

    --
    This guy's the limit!
  7. Re:personal or business by nine-times · · Score: 5, Funny

    The same applies to improtance. ohh yea, the importance flag in outlook is of no use whatsoever because an emergency on your part, doesnt' mean an emergency on mine, unless your a client in which case see above.

    Agh! E-mail "priorities". In my experience, anything marked "!" important was absolutely not important at all. I used to work for a company where some people would set that on every single e-mail they sent, no matter the content. I ignored it for a while, and then I set a casual rule for myself that anything with a little red exclamation mark next to it got ignored for 10 minutes minimum. Still, it annoyed me, so I made inbox rules to reverse any priorities (setting e-mails marked "low" to "high" and vice versa).

    That was all well and good until my boss walked by and noticed all his e-mails were marked low priority. "Oh... huh, you didn't set them low priority? I just thought you were being considerate to my schedule. Must be some kinda bug!"

  8. I disagree by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    We're the Cut'n'paste generation. We don't really think about what we write before putting 'pen to paper' anymore for the following reasons:

    1. You can cut'n'paste you sentances to make some resemblance of ordered thought.
    2. You can get a quick response, so if you're imprecise, you'll know about it quicker.

    So basically latency has plummeted, but we're probably less efficient at doing things than we used to be before all this 'new fangled technology'.

    Am I going to read this comment through? Do a spellcheck? nope, I'm going to spin in out, with it's imprecision, flaws and ambiguity, for I know that someone else will pick up on those point very rapidly and therefore I do not need to bother...

    1. Re:I disagree by Reziac · · Score: 5, Funny

      This has the makings of a chain letter :)

      --
      ~REZ~ #43301. Who'd fake being me anyway?
  9. URGENT: PROBLEM! by poopie · · Score: 5, Funny
    Hey, I just wanted to get a quick reply out to you to let you know that I read your comment. I'll post more in detail later, I have a meeting I need to get to.


    Hi Eln,

    Thanks so much for your prompt response. This is now urgent! I'm cc'ing all of the dev managers and the VPs of developments so that we can all track your responses to this issue. Please respond to all ASAP!!!

    Oh, can we set up a meeting tonight at 8pm to discuss your findings? I've added this to everyone's calendar - I realize that this is short notice, but attendance is mandatory.

    If anyone has any thoughts, ideas, random musings, opinions, or collateral information please respond.

    Thanks everyone!

    Bob
    Senior SCSSACP
    TPS report generation, QLDT division
    AGAAP
    email: bob@corp.com
    fax: 1-212-212-1212
    Mobile: 1-212-212-1223
    Telex: TP-10925645
    Pager: bob7979797@pagingservice.com
    GPS coordinates: N36 06.285', W114 46.655'
    IM: hotlovr69@msn.com
    What I'm currently listening to: Mr. T - Respect yo Mama

    The opinions epressed in the above email represent my opinion and do not represent the opinion of my company or management. This communication from corp.com may contain forward looking statements or confidential information and must not be forwarded or archived.

    --

    THIS MESSAGE WAS SENT FROM MY BLACKBERRY

    --
    THIS MESSAGE HAS BEEN SCANNED BY AVG-PRO AND FOUND TO BE VIRUS FREE
    1. Re:URGENT: PROBLEM! by Solder+Fumes · · Score: 5, Funny

      You are SO channeling seven or eight of my bosses right now.