The math of an Email chain letter
Posted: December 10, 2011 Filed under: economy, email, networking, social responsibility, spam, writing | Tags: chain letters, email, spam 1 Comment »It’s been entirely too long since we posted here (sort of the issue of the cobbler’s kids, I know…). Something occurred this evening that I just had to address.
You’ve seen them before: the email chain letters that are full of wonderful intentions, loving messages, prayers… and a request to forward it THIS MINUTE to at least eight people.
I receive an insane volume of email every day, and messages like this that (however well intentioned) amount to chain letters, represent a drain on both the recipients’ time and the email services through which these messages flow.
As a long-time IT professional, I have seen firsthand what an impact this can have on the technology infrastructure, as well as its impact on people’s time and productivity.
Do the math for a moment: if every person on a list of only seven people sent out eight copies as exhorted in one such message, that’s 56 copies just in the first pass. If in turn each of those people send out eight copies, that’s 448. Eight again, and it’s 3584. Another eight, and you have 28,672. Eight each of those makes 229,376. And when those people send out eight copies, you’ve got 1,835,008. So in only six generations of emails, you have over a million being sent…within only minutes if everyone on those lists responds quickly as directed. That’s a million sets of eyeballs reading a message that they have probably received before (I’ve seen this particular example circulating for years). The original sender probably means well, but this is an enormous burden both technically and personally.
Technically, in a “perfect storm” of such responses, it could actually result in an email sending service being overwhelmed. Perhaps less dramatically, but possibly more damaging over a longer period of time, you could actually be dinged by your email provider for sending out SPAM. Yep, it’s true. You could be blacklisted if enough people report it as unsolicited bulk email–the rules are strict and getting more strict by the year.
Frankly, I’d rather hear REAL news, from YOU to ME, telling me how you are (and you are well, I hope!).
It took me five minutes to write this. If all 1,835,008 people spent five minutes, that would be 9,175,040 minutes, or 152,917 hours, or 6,371 days, or 17.45 years spent away from family, community efforts, rest, meditation, music, art, etc.
I’d rather sing or cook. 
Thanks, and be well. Really!
Rebekkah
the power of a fresh perspective
Posted: March 9, 2009 Filed under: blogging, design, marketing, writing | Tags: business communications, design, document review, perspective, relax, rest, review process Leave a comment »Have you ever written a message–say, a new piece of news for your web site–and published it, only to discover after the fact that it contains errors? Having another pair of eyes–or six–goes a long way toward mitigating such embarrassment.
Whether you’re a one-seat consultancy or a corporation with hundreds of employees and a full marketing-communications team, it’s really important to submit any public-facing communication for review–particularly those that affect the overall credibility of the company! Even something as simple as an email autoresponder can benefit from the review process; in that case, it’s one of the first things a potential client sees, and can truly make or break the relationship!
It’s not only the concrete things such as facts about your company and its products and services; it’s the way you address your audience. Grammar, spelling and sentence construction may not be noticed by those people who don’t care about such things, but those who do will be instantly turned off. And in terms of style, for example, the “hard sell” no longer cuts the mustard in most cases; neither does a laundry list of features (now fondly referred to as “featuritis”).
Instead, offer a solution–even if it’s a solution to a problem your client doesn’t know he has. Maybe especially then!
You would be amazed at what a fresh perspective can do for your communications–even your own fresh perspective!
How do you freshen your own perspective?
You can freshen your own perspective in a few key ways:
- Do some research: Don’t fall into the trap of becoming complacent about your methods. The landscape of our business communications, especially in sales and marketing, is constantly shifting. It may no longer be possible to keep up (there’s SO much information out there!), but regular research will help you catch up.
- Get multiple perspectives: If it’s at all possible, fly your communications by people who will look at it from angles other than your own. Do you have a client you trust to offer a good opinion? Ask! And ask associates who work in other business units; their perspective may not apply exactly, but on the other hand they might catch things you missed.
- Step back from your own work: It’s a bit scary how easily we can get tunnel vision about our own work if we’ve been at it for too long. So put it away for a while, work on something completely different, and come back to it later with fresh eyes. I can practically guarantee that you’ll see things you didn’t the first time around, catch details you missed, expose errors, and so on.
This leads me to another way you can get a fresh perspective:
Take a break!
Especially in this uncertain economy, it is altogether too easy to get caught up in working harder, working longer hours, taking fewer breaks–believe me, I am so guilty of this! But even the most precision machinery needs downtime for maintenance, and the human brain (not to mention the human body!) is no exception. Working longer hours does not result in greater productivity, and often results in a reduction!
Here’s an interesting phenomenon, and you have probably experienced it yourself: you’re familiar with the concept of background processing in computers? This is when some heavy number-crunching such as a virus scan or a large equation gets done in the background while you’re carrying out other operations. The brain works the same way: when you relax, your brain continues processing information, and is likely to come up with answers to sticky problems in the oddest unguarded moments–haven’t you even had a “Eureka!” moment while sitting on the pot, or a flash of insight that wakes you up in the middle of the night? I’ve said for years that I do my best work at such times.
Those leaps are often what saves the day, and if you’ve experienced them (as I hope you have), it’s good to remember that you must relax in order for such breakthroughs to occur.
An outside look
Recently we invited comments about our web site from a number of colleagues in the fields of marketing and public relations. Boy, did we get them! Some were very positive, and some were less so. In one case, we received a no-uncertain-terms indication that we were on the wrong track altogether, so we asked for details. This reviewer did not have to do so, but she replied with a very thorough explanation of why she thought so–and we are incredibly grateful, because it caused us to step back and look at our own work with fresh eyes.
The result was an updated design and increased awareness of modern design and usability trends, both for our clients and for the company!
A fresh perspective can make the difference between work that is routine and work that is truly great–we’re not saying we’re there yet, but this experience certainly nudged us (we hope!) back on the right track. We learned a great deal from this experience, and hope that you can, too.
I invite your perspective on this article and any others on this blog or at our (newly redesigned) company site, http://www.shetech.com.
Get your fresh perspective today!
the power of dummies
Posted: June 16, 2008 Filed under: writing | Tags: css, dummies, ed tittel, html, idg, jeff noble Leave a comment »Among the latest in the famed-and-fabulous “Dummies” series from Wiley Publishing is the 6th Edition of HTML, XHTML & CSS for Dummies by Ed Tittel and Jeff Noble. SheTech and Company is proud to be part of this project in the form of hosting provider and content manager for the companion web site, which can now be found at http://www.edtittel.com/html4d6e/. Read the rest of this entry »
How to write a letter
Posted: April 30, 2008 Filed under: writing | Tags: letter, letter writing, writing Leave a comment »Hello! Today we are talking about how to write a letter. Yes, a letter! It’s time to practice an art which, in this age of instant messaging, is quickly falling by the wayside.
Do you remember how it feels to open y our mailbox (the kind that dispenses actual paper mail) and see a letter from a dear friend or a favorite relative? Well, today is the day we do that for someone we know, and we’ll take you through the steps.
Letter writing is an art, restorative for both the writer and the reader. It requires a different kind of mental process, believe it or not, than composing an email or an IM — the act of putting pen to paper and writing your thoughts engages different parts of your brain!
Let’s get started…
- Make certain you have set aside enough time to give your letter proper attention! Make a time when you are not distracted by the pressure of an upcoming appointment, and find a time when you can focus your attention without being pulled away by a child, a spouse or other urgencies. You need continuity to compose a good letter.
- Be comfortable — find an uncluttered space with comfortable seating, allowing you to relax. Set the mood: light a candle, have music playing if it helps, and be sure you have adequate lighting!
- Gather your writing materials. Over the years, I have collected papers and cards so that when I feel the urge to write a letter, it will be on something a little finer than lined notebook paper, or paper I steal from my printer.
Next, the writing instrument: find a pen that writes smoothly and has plenty of ink. Do you like colored ink? Pick your favorite, but make certain it can be read on your chosen paper. If Aunt Tillie’s eyesight is not so good, consider choosing an ink that stands out clearly. - Now, what is your subject? Are you writing to cover something specific, or will this just be chatty news? Will you have pictures to include, or references to something you’ve read? Bring them along so you can refer to them.
- Make sure you have your recipient’s address! It’s a little difficult to send a letter without one; also make sure you have proper postage.
Do you use return address labels? Have those on hand as well.
Now we’re ready to start writing.
Write today’s date in the upper right corner of your first page.
Choose a greeting: “Dear Aunt Tillie,” “My very dear Michael,” or just “Howdy!”
Now when you start the body of the letter, here’s a hint: don’tstart with the work “I” or “my” — this letter is for your reader, not for you, so engage the reader right away: ask how he or she is, or start right in on your story…
Dear Aunt Tillie,
While listening to this week’s broadcast of the Seattle Symphony, you came to my mind — do you remember when we attended the Mahler Festival together? It has been nearly a decade, can you believe it?…
You get the idea.
As you write your letter, it’s good to be able to refer to book passages, photos and the like, so feel free to stop and reflect when the occasion calls for it.
If your letter is longer than a single page, it’s good to number the pages and include a shortened version of the date, for example:
As you wrap up your letter, be sure to engage your reader in the future somehow — “I look forward to seeing you in May,” or “When are you coming back out this way?”
Close your letter sincerely and genuinely: “With fondest regards,” “With love,” “With respect,” “Be well,” “Peace” or other such good wishes.
Sign your name using your signature or your initials, depending on the tone of the letter. I also like to add my own personal mark, which is a feather.
Address the envelope, place your letter in the envelope along with photos or other items you wish to send, but don’t enclose cash — it may not make it to your recipient!
Seal the envelope, place a stamp in the upper right corner, and take it to the mailbox to be picked up.
That’s it — the contents of the letter are up to you, of course, but let’s not forget this gentle art form.
Rebekkah Hilgraves
Theresa
andyscherer
Peter Mancini
alexasteele
the power of yes
Posted: January 11, 2009 | Author: Rebekkah Hilgraves | Filed under: blogging, design, economy, election, marketing, networking, search engine friendly, social media, writing | Tags: customer service, customer support, economy, good news, language, news, positive attitude, social commentary, social media, social network | 2 Comments »Why are we so fond of bad news? It’s like that morbid compulsion to crane your neck at an auto accident to see if–heaven forbid!–anyone was seriously injured, and then breathe a sigh of relief that it wasn’t you (though if you crane your neck far enough, it might be!). We watch the headlines with the same morbid fascination, shaking our heads and clucking our tongues at some stranger’s (or strangers’) misfortunes.
We watch and drool…until the bad news finds its way to our doorstep.
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