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RE: A Welcome Delay

Miles Neale — Fri, 02 Nov 2012 09:34:08 GMT

I sometimes write an email and save it. Then write a second version and save it. The I write a third summarizing the content of the first two and save that one. Then I either call the person or write a last email that is really ready. It is hard to work the emotions out but if you can the out come is far more productive. M.

RE: A Welcome Delay

KWymore — Fri, 02 Nov 2012 08:57:42 GMT

I always proofread and check my emails for tone before sending. If something is emotionally charged then I will either save it as a draft for a couple hours to a day or send it to a friend or colleague to get their opinion first. Like everyone I have sent a few bombs that caused more trouble than they were worth and I have been on the receiving end of more poorly formed emails than I would like to think about. The ability to proofread, edit and just get your thoughts out on the screen is why I always prefer email over phone calls. Plus it creates a pseudo paper trail in the event that you are responding to a touchy subject.

RE: A Welcome Delay

TravisDBA — Fri, 02 Nov 2012 08:20:36 GMT

I can't tell you how many times I have deleted resignation letters out of the E-Mail Drafts folder when I had the time to think about it a little, but once you send it you can't take it back..:-D

RE: A Welcome Delay

patrickmcginnis59 — Fri, 02 Nov 2012 07:58:03 GMT

[quote][b]dmbaker (11/2/2012)[/b][hr]Looks like they took down the letter, http://blog.mandriva.com/en/2007/10/31/an-open-letter-to-steve-ballmer/ just gives me a "Not found" now. I wonder if Google cached it... :-)[/quote]may or may not be an accurate copy:[url]http://technopaper.blogspot.com/2007/11/mandrivas-open-letter-to-steve-ballmer.html[/url]

RE: A Welcome Delay

dmbaker — Fri, 02 Nov 2012 07:31:00 GMT

Looks like they took down the letter, http://blog.mandriva.com/en/2007/10/31/an-open-letter-to-steve-ballmer/ just gives me a "Not found" now. I wonder if Google cached it... :-)

RE: A Welcome Delay

Antares686 — Mon, 03 Dec 2007 08:18:13 GMT

[quote][b]majorbloodnock (12/3/2007)[/b][hr][quote][b]Bob Hoffman (11/30/2007)[/b][hr]....Some people I deal with retain everything and it may end up in court against you....[/quote]I swear to tell the truth, the half-truth and nothing like the truth, so help me, God.;)[/quote]Nail-head, meet hammer! :hehe:

RE: A Welcome Delay

majorbloodnock — Mon, 03 Dec 2007 01:25:18 GMT

[quote][b]Bob Hoffman (11/30/2007)[/b][hr]....Some people I deal with retain everything and it may end up in court against you....[/quote]I swear to tell the truth, the half-truth and nothing like the truth, so help me, God.;)

RE: A Welcome Delay

twm — Sun, 02 Dec 2007 18:39:28 GMT

thank goodness for the "save as draft" option in Lotus Notes....I use it frequently, then re-read my emotional emails the next day when I have calmed down....Often I don't send them, but I feel better for writing them.!!

RE: A Welcome Delay

Bob Hoffman-209065 — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 10:32:41 GMT

I hate it when I hit the send button and the last thing I clearly see before it vanishes off the screen and into the cloud is the glaring typo I "proofed" 3 times before doing that!I read somewhere that another way to proof is read what you wrote backwards. It prevents the brain from filling in the missing pieces or misspellings. It works but is a little hard to deal with when in a hurry.As far as sending those terse responses off in any form (e-mail, fax, letter and even verbal), I have written, read and then deleted a few responses just because I knew it was wrong or would be construed as wrong even if I was right. Some people I deal with retain everything and it may end up in court against you even if it was not inflammatory but business related. Once you have been down that path facing a Judge and attorneys in court, you will probably never want to write anything else for a long time. I speak from near experience - it was settled a couple of hours before my testimony.Just this week, I was dealing with a minor problem and I realized that the person I was dealing with might forward this on to someone else up the chain so I made sure that I was clear in my responses. That person did just that and I had nothing to worry about.Ah, experience, the great teacher.

RE: A Welcome Delay

Timothy-313907 — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 10:27:43 GMT

I tried various flavors of Linux for a week on my home machine. I actually preferred PC Linux OS 2007 over Ubuntu 7.04, Mandriva 2008 and Suse 10.3 were pretty nice too. I was surprised I could go a week without Windows at all and not really need it. I mostly use my home machine for gaming and surfing the Net but I ended up taking a break from gaming that week. I think Civilization 4 is for Linux and Unreal Tournament 2004 is so I could've had my games on it. Some of the visual effects you get with Compiz Fusion, or its older incarnation Beryl, are amazing and either surpass or are on par with the visual effects from Mac OS or Vista. Even though I'm a techie at work I really don't like being one at home and didn't have to go to the command prompt much at all.My main gripe though is that no version of Linux I tried could successfully put my computer to sleep and resume. Some could put it to sleep but after it woke up my mouse or keyboard wouldn't work right, or the display would just be black, either way I was forced to reboot. PC Linux OS recognized my mouse correctly and I could use the back and forward buttons on it with Firefox; other Linux flavors required a trip to the X config files (which I used the GUI for).Overall I was impressed, Linux has come a long way in regards to being used on the desktop since the last time I tried it. KDE 4 is supposed to be coming out pretty soon and it's supposed to make desktop Linux even nicer. I think desktop Linux is ready now for certain people, non-techies I mean.

RE: A Welcome Delay

WILLIAM MITCHELL — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 10:04:05 GMT

I had similar bad experiences with SUSE 9.2 it took forever & was as resource-intensive as Windows. And I had to BUY that one :-(

RE: A Welcome Delay

Antares686 — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 09:57:09 GMT

Experience with RedHat, Abit, Madrake, Corel, and a couple of others I can't recall, some are more user friendly and some are a pain (RedHat 9 took 3 hours to install and failed the first 3 times to complete correctly). And yes all were labs for me and not my day to day. Finally went and created Virtual PC files of all older OS's I play with (lots of older software laying around) so I once I got am image the way I wanted I could write to DVD and restore whenever. I loved BeOS and was sad it died but Windows remains the dominate force for my work related stuff so it is what I live on.

RE: A Welcome Delay

Jack Corbett — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 09:49:44 GMT

[quote][b]WILLIAM MITCHELL (11/30/2007)[/b][hr]I've tried Ubuntu Linux 6.06 and it's waaaay more stable than the Win 98 SE that it replaced on my old Sony laptop. It recognized all the hardware without having to search for drivers. I know almost nothing about Linux but I got it installed very quickly. But without MS-Office or SQL Server, it's more of a laboratory curiosity for me.[/quote]I have played with Linux (Ubuntu) and the only thing I could not get working was USB wireless. If I could get that working I would use it for my personal PC. It has internet, email, and Office so I could do all my personal stuff no problem.

RE: A Welcome Delay

rudy - Doctor "X" — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 09:47:54 GMT

Yes, I pause and reread things. However I do not go out for a smoke every time other wise some days that would mean smoking 4 packs of cigarettes at work !

RE: A Welcome Delay

WILLIAM MITCHELL — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 09:41:04 GMT

I've tried Ubuntu Linux 6.06 and it's waaaay more stable than the Win 98 SE that it replaced on my old Sony laptop. It recognized all the hardware without having to search for drivers. I know almost nothing about Linux but I got it installed very quickly. But without MS-Office or SQL Server, it's more of a laboratory curiosity for me.

RE: A Welcome Delay

Peter Schott — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 09:30:46 GMT

BTW, as far as Linux goes I think that there's a reason MS is dominant over Linux and that is the fact that most in the Linux community don't really "get" the desktop experience. While it may work fine for servers, it's just not ready for desktop until everything can be done through the GUI with little thought for the average computer user. Once you mention "command line", "shell", or "compile" in order to accomplish a task, you've pretty much lost the average user.Personally, I'd love to see Linux as a viable alternative on the desktop. I think that the competition is good for all of the OS companies. I'm a little put off by Windows prices - I still remember when a fully functioning Windows 95 or even 98 was < $100. (Great gaming platforms for the time, too.) It's hard to look at the cost of MS Office or MS Windows and not wonder about alternatives. Sadly the only real alternatives are "get a Mac" or "deal with Linux".In this case, I think that with MS competing against Mandriva with the price being equal it's hard to justify going with Mandriva. I pretty much skipped the rest of the story - I kind of figured it would disintegrate pretty quickly into an OS war.

RE: A Welcome Delay

Peter Schott — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 09:24:04 GMT

For the Outlook Delay, go to Tools - Rules & Alerts. Create a new blank rule for "after sending".Choose the account for this rule (or whatever other criteria - maybe you just want to delay sends to certain people).Under the "Select Actions" screen, the last option I have is "Defer delivery by [u]a number[/u] of minutes." Choose that.Choose whatever exceptions you'd like to this rule (High Importance, etc).Save it and turn it on. That's pretty much it. Something that you could find on your own if you use Rules a lot, but otherwise you'd probably never know it was there. Credit to Lifehacker as they brought it to my attention. (original credit unknown)

RE: A Welcome Delay

Steve Jones - SSC Editor — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 09:18:06 GMT

The comments are crazy. You should search it out on Slashdot for some good humor.I agree with you. Everything is a tool. Heck, I don't even care about the Mac v PC. I use what works better. I edit the podcasts on a Mac because it's easier. Don't care about the platform. I've used Linux, it works ok, but it's no better than Windows. It installed easy, text editor, web, and email were OK, and I didn't really have issues. But it wasn't any better than using my Windows PC, just as stable/unstable, so why switch?Use what works and be effective. If MS convinced someone that their software is better, than make a better argument or change your software.If they're both free (as in beer), then what does it mean if Windows is chosen?

RE: A Welcome Delay

Grant Fritchey — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 09:01:29 GMT

I went and read the original message. It's whining, pure and simple. I then read as many of the comments as I could stomach. It's kind of freaky how attached people are to an OS. I'm a Microsoft guy. I'm working with SQL Server, Visual Studio, XP (no Vista), Outlook, Office, all kinds of MS stuff. But you know what? They're just a bunch of tools. I'm not worshipping at Bill's feet because I'm using software from his company. I've used Linux in the past. It was pretty nice stuff. Unfortunately support for it was pretty crappy and involved wading through lots of "If you're too stupid to fix this on your own, go back to Windoze" posts. So I did. That attitude is on beautiful display over there. Even if there was a translation issue with the CEO's message, all the "me-too" posts that follow it up sound like a bunch of snotty fourteen year olds who aren't getting their way. There's a lot of people who could afford to read before they post.

RE: A Welcome Delay

Steve Jones - SSC Editor — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 08:43:59 GMT

Wow, great replies and thanks for the debate. Looks like most of you are probably better with this than I am.Peter, didn't know that. Where is this in Outlook?William, it's entirely possible that this was a language issue, but he's a CEO. He wrote it in English and French, and should have had someone run through it and try to clean things up. It's out there forever now and you can bet that MS will keep copies around.As much as I like to see CEOs blogging, like Mr Schwartz from Sun, someone has to go over their writing and ensure it's appropriate for release. They have too much impact in what they're doing.I'm like Grant, or have been in the past. I can be a jerk, so I try to slow down on the inflammatory emails. I actually have quite a few things I won't write down in email, blog, anywhere, specifically because I know it's out there. I've had emails forwarded on and it's sad because it means that I can't trust people.I'd add one thing that in addition to being careful about sending what you write, be careful about what you forward. Your name is attached to the email as well and you might be breaking trust or furthering a cause. I often delete email addresses before I forward something since I don't think I should be giving out someone's email if it's not appropriate.

RE: A Welcome Delay

Antares686 — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 08:42:53 GMT

I generally don't address and place in draft for some time an email especially if it is something I am passionate about so I have time to reread it. Occasionally I will pass to a teammember I trust to be honest before I send something scathing. However on a few occasions I have shot off in a hurry becuase the issue had to be addressed right then (and I have some lumps to prove I was right btw). It all depends on the situation and importance of the issue, the one you listed looks bad gramatically. However, I think that was a translation issue from the original french. But still the tone is obvious and for him all I have to say is"Would you like a little chesse with your whine , sir"I like Linux, Windows, Mac and even play with OS/2 some still. Nigeria is honoring their commitment but as customers they don't owe anyone an explination. Did MS use bribery or some other underhanded tacktic or is this the resounding "WAAAHHH I cry foul" mentality we see every day when someone doesn't get their way????????

RE: A Welcome Delay

Peter Schott — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 08:30:02 GMT

I don't know how many e-mail clients support this, but Outlook 2007 at least offers an option in Client-Side Rules to delay sending of e-mails for a set # of minutes, along with some exceptions such as a high priority or certain To lists. I'm using this now to help catch me even if I [i]do[/i] hit send. I still practice a lot of what has been said above, especially if I'm pretty emotional about something. However, this has also helped me stop e-mails from going out about topics that were answered in a group e-mail I just received or sometimes to add/remove people from the list.It's been useful to delay the speed of e-mail just a little bit in case I have some second/third thought about what was in the e-mail.

RE: A Welcome Delay

G Bryant McClellan — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 08:08:47 GMT

Personally, I've gotten better at writing the response and then throwing it away. As noted earlier, this type of 'therapy' can be great for either calming one down or helping one realize that there is no gain to sending the email at all.Our former CIO came down fairly and squarely on IT for this very issue. For a time after that, I was my boss' official proofreader for any emails to the CIO that had any critical content. More than one I talked him down to something more pleasant and it all worked out in the end.So make like Santa Claus. Make the email, check it twice. If necessary, get an elf to look over it for you. The embarrassment you save may be your own.

RE: A Welcome Delay

mikedotnet — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 07:54:45 GMT

I'm actually bad about this....in the opposite way. I tend to spend too much time looking over an email to make sure that it conveys the message that I intended in the way that I intended it.Emails, and writing in general, are tough (at least for me) to make sure that the "tone" of the message is done in such a way that it can't be interpreted the wrong way. I think it just comes down to professionalism in the workplace. Everything I do reflects on me, whether I want it to or not. So I better make sure that the reflection is the one I want.

RE: A Welcome Delay

Joe Johnson-482549 — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 07:40:28 GMT

In an emotional situation, I always write the email immediately, but keep it in my drafts until the next day before sending it. In many instances, I look at it the same day and say, "What the @#$! was I thinking?". There have been times that I have gone ahead and sent the email (with minor editing). I think it depends on the situation on whether you should send them, but you should always remove the emotions from the situation -- it can only make it worse.Regards,J.

RE: A Welcome Delay

WILLIAM MITCHELL — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 07:37:54 GMT

Steve, you said"CEO of Mandriva fired off an open letter ... The tone of the letter was a little whiny..."But did you consider that English may be his 2nd language? Maybe something was lost in translation.I don't speak French, so perhaps somebody else could comment on the French version?

RE: A Welcome Delay

Julie Breutzmann — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 07:30:36 GMT

It occurs to me that this [u]was[/u] his toned-down version of the email. It seems likely that his first reaction would have been much stronger.It is prudent to double-check the "to" list, reread emails and to delay sending ones that may cause trouble. And to always be aware that emails may not remain private. But even the best of us slip up now and then.

RE: A Welcome Delay

Timothy-313907 — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 07:28:09 GMT

I got burned, twice, by a (former) friend/co-worker from sending her nasty emails that she then dutifully forwarded to my boss. :pinch: I've always thought myself to be careful when it comes to online communications, but after those incidents I don't trust ANYONE and I consider anything I write as something that can be used against me in the court of public opinion. Even if you're the best of friends now emails can be saved, or just left in your inbox, and months or years later, surprise surprise. :) Best to leave emotion out of written communications in my opinion unless you don't mind any potential future consequences, or use an online alias. :DFor general email though I always proofread what I've written and spellcheck. Spellcheck catches most egregious mistakes but I tell you grammar is the killer for most things I read. People use the wrong form of they're, their, or there. Forget to include words they may have been thinking but just forgot to actually write. Use an incorrect word, that's spelled correctly, for the concept they're trying to convey. What's worse is that I've seen bad grammar mistakes in official articles from sources such as Reuters or the AP. You'd think editors would proofread their writers' work.Anyway, after that long spiel about grammar I'm now extremely self-conscious I've gotten my grammar right in this post, haha.

RE: A Welcome Delay

Your Name Here — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 07:03:06 GMT

Ohhhh, yeah. It only takes one hard lesson to learn you don't blast out flame mail when your temperature is high. As other folks have posted (clearly from wisdom gained through experience) it's probably best to write what you feel, take relish is verbally crushing "their itty bitty head" then lock your workstation and take a smoke break. When you return, hit the delete button and reply with a cooler head. If you really stop to think about it, sending flame mail usually just stokes the fire and makes things worse.I've actually seen email threads that I replied to circulate over a year after I replied to them. It's really sobering to see your words in an email dated that far back!Be the better person and compose your mail calmly and civilly while entertaining the thoughts of using a nail gun on a voodoo doll that bears a remarkable resemblance to the recipient. Personally, I'd rather be laughing than angry.

RE: A Welcome Delay

Grant Fritchey — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 06:57:47 GMT

The real problem is, I am a jerk. So I have to try to reduce the damage as much as possible. Emails are dangerous because, even a well crafted message can offend (especially when so many people these days seem to lack an epidermis).

RE: A Welcome Delay

Jack Corbett — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 06:39:42 GMT

[quote][b]Grant Fritchey (11/30/2007)[/b][hr]Having sent a few e-bombs in my time, I try hard to look at what I've written before I hit send if emotion is an attachment. Usually, if I'm completely ripped and writing an email, just writing the email is enough to calm me down. I'll read it once or twice to be sure I've gotten my precise response for the idiot that I was going to send it to. Then I hit delete.[/quote]Grant, You hit what I do right on the head. I can't redo a phone conversation, but I can re-type an email before I send it. This is a major reason why I choose email over the telephone. Write, read, and edit so I can get my point across, hopefully without coming across like a jerk.

RE: A Welcome Delay

Stephanie J Brown — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 06:29:56 GMT

Having been on the receiving end of quite a few "flamers", I wish everyone would take that time-out before hitting send on the emotional or political emails. (One particular correspondent was very pleasant in person, but the emails - wow!) My personal policy is never flame, and if you're responding to an "annoying" email, always read it at least twice, and if it's really touchy have a co-worker review it with you for tone. Because you only hit SEND once, and there is no UNSend! :D

RE: A Welcome Delay

Grant Fritchey — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 05:22:05 GMT

Having sent a few e-bombs in my time, I try hard to look at what I've written before I hit send if emotion is an attachment. Usually, if I'm completely ripped and writing an email, just writing the email is enough to calm me down. I'll read it once or twice to be sure I've gotten my precise response for the idiot that I was going to send it to. Then I hit delete.

RE: A Welcome Delay

Todd Townley — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 03:56:45 GMT

I am VERY careful with any emails I send. As too many stories attest to, an email can end up in some of the strangest places either through carelessness, hitting the Replay All instead of Reply, or even someone forwarding your email to someone else.Even in writing emails intended to stay internal to the company that may contain criticism of a fellow employee or a customer, I attempt to keep the language professional and courteous.Also, I am in a position where I have had the need to review the emails of employees who have been let go. Needless to say, there are often emails in the mailbox that could potentially be embarrassing for both the former employee and for senders / recipients who are still current employees.In short, my philosophy is that EVERY email is “on the record”. If I need to say something that I wouldn’t want published everywhere, then say it in person, but don’t put it in writing.

RE: A Welcome Delay

Jamie Batiste — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 02:34:18 GMT

I've done both. Generally I try to stop posting inflammatory emails until I've tried to understand the intended meaning but sometimes even carefully crafted emails can be misconstrued with the lack of a comma in the right place etc. I still prefer to speak face to face to ensure that what I mean to say comes through and that I understand fully the other parties intent.I worked for a private bank a few years ago, with a very friendly close knit staff. A colleague sent an email out basically warning of an impending lack of service to the entire bank. One member of staff replied with a one word reply implying that he was born out of wedlock. It would have been funny to both parties and no harm done...but he hit reply to all instead of reply and didn't notice until the replies started flooding in. If this had been other sites I'd worked at there would have been fireworks, but luckily everyone viewed the incident as a joke.

RE: A Welcome Delay

majorbloodnock — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 01:10:35 GMT

Certainly the wider the audience or the more controversial the subject, the more care I'll take in composing and checking the email. However, I can't say I delay the sending of potentially inflammatory emails, since I don't tend to use email as the preferred medium for that kind of communication. If I want to get angry with someone, I tend to pick up the phone or wander over and talk face to face.I'm just a great believer in public praise, but private criticism.

RE: A Welcome Delay

Jeff Moden — Thu, 29 Nov 2007 20:11:50 GMT

Heh... at the very least, I'll go outside to have a smoke before I hit the "GO" button. Gives me time to think about whether I need to reword to be more politically correct or maybe even time to ask did I understand the problem correctly. It's especially important if you really want to crush someone's itty-bitty head because they said something in their email that was really stupid. :P

RE: A Welcome Delay

Sarah Dutkiewicz — Thu, 29 Nov 2007 19:17:59 GMT

I definitely pause before sending emails (and even making posts). I tend to read, proofread, re-read and then send. I proof my emails because I don't always know who's on the other side and if they are as picky as me. I tend to get cranky when I know the person on the other side is someone who writes for the public (like a PR person or marketing person) and who has horrible typos and grammar. Seeing emails like that makes me lose faith in the school systems here :(

A Welcome Delay

Steve Jones - SSC Editor — Thu, 29 Nov 2007 15:36:18 GMT

Comments posted to this topic are about the item [B]A Welcome Delay[/B]