These forwards are the bane of e-mail users and I, for one, have found a simple way to deal with them. I don't even open these e-mails. I just hit the DELETE key now. And yesterday I discovered there are others like me. Mala Bhargava, for instance, who devoted her column in the latest Businessworld to explain why she hates forwards.
Here is an excerpt:
"... e-mail savvy hasn’t increased much.
"The one thing that has remained an annoyance is the tsunami of 'forwards' that crisscross cyberspace everyday. The well-intentioned individuals who indulge in the pastime of sending their friends jokes, chain mail, presentations, videos, pictures, and more, are convinced they’ve done their altruistic bit for the day. They’re always surprised and more than a little hurt when you tell them you don’t really want these, even if they were amusing. I’m afraid I’m one of those who could totally do without the deluge of forwards from my network."
And then she lists five reasons that should give pause for thought to all the avid forwarders out there. Are you one of them? Reading "Why I Hate Forwards" should cure you, I think.
(Sadly, the "forward" contagion now seems to have spread to Facebook, which is awash with links that come bearing the entreaty: "Hilarious!!! You MUST watch this!!!!!". If you really want us to read those forwards or watch those videos, doesn't it make sense to give us a valid and cogent and coherent reason to do so? Stop with those generic messages already. And if you still feel compelled to send me a forward, get rid of those unwanted e-mail addresses, please.)
Once upon a time, I used to react to forwards, writing back 'Please don't send me forwards', 'They are annoying', 'Don't waste my time'... Then I grew up! I started deleting them without even opening them.
ReplyDeleteBut there's something that stills annoys me... When someone does a 'reply all' to a mail that has been sent to many. Most often, I don't know that person, hence his/her points of view doesn't interest me. And just the thought that he/she is careless enough to do a 'reply all' and disturb others or stupid enough to do a 'reply all' intentionally thinking that his comment will be much appreciated, disgusts me! It makes me question his/her intelligence in the first place!
Wish, there were classes teaching 'mail-manners'. Honestly Sir, I think it would help many.
Hehee, I agree with you on this one,Sir. Forwards have become the norm these days, with everyone sending or rather forwarding you an already "forward" mail, but the ones that annoy me the most are mails that inform you of having won a lottery in some obscure part of England (the "preferred" location) and asking you to again "forward" your personal details and your bank account no. though I must admit when I first got such a mail, I was happy, (like a fool) heheheh. Take care @sh
ReplyDeleteThe best thing to do is to hit the delete button every time you don't wish to read the forward. The ones that are most annoying are the ones that say, 'If you don't forward this to 15 people within 5 minutes then you will be cursed with bad luck for the next 9 years!' Best is, this trend has passed on to mobile phones as well, where you receive chain smses saying that if you forward this to 10 people, then you will get a call from someone you have been thinking about by tonight! Hilarious it is indeed!
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