Trivial Tuesday- Oct 24/23 - Emails!

[tjscraps]

We were talking at work yesterday about emails - we get lots of them, seems like all I do every day all day is answer emails. And it came up that about half the people in our office do this, and it blew my mind! So, I wanted to see if it was just my office or if other people do this.

When writing an email do you:

1) Put in who it is 'to' to start

OR

2) Wait until the end and fill in the 'to' part last?


I do #1 - apparently the main reason people do #2 is so they don't accidentally send someone something they weren't ready to send (or accidentally send to the wrong people / reply all, etc).

I had never thought to do #2 - I start at the top and work my way down lol

What about you?

[bienejen]

If I'm replying to a customer or sales rep, I almost always do #1. However, for any coaching or disciplinary leaning emails to my team, I always do #2.

[KristinCB]

I do #1 and often forget that i'm not on messenger or something like that and send way before I should so maybe I should be doing it the #2 way.

I probably shouldn't even be sending emails. LOL.

[wendyp]

I do 1. too

[JillW]

When I was working, I always did #1.

However; I probably should have started to do #2 once I had a "whoopsie". I never made it a habit to send out "BS" emails, but one Friday afternoon, sent a joke email to a co-worker. I giggled as I hit send, only to realize I'd sent it to our new Director of Logistics (who had the same first initials as the person I was sending it to ...)! My heart sank. I immediately went into my manager's office and fessed up (man, I was SO embarrassed!). He said he'd take care of it. Which he did, but we did have another conversation afterward and I never sent out another "funny" email after that!!

This is the meme I'd sent:


Obviously, it didn't take long for word to get around to my co-managers that I had screwed up! So for years after, the running joke was always about a "wet willy".

[norton94]

LOL Jill

I do #2 because it won't send until I'm ready, but can totally see myself doing that!! I don't think doing the second way prevent your error Jill!

[bienejen]

Lol, Jill! I'm sure I'll think of Wet Willy for a long time now when double checking my emails!

[tjscraps]

Hahhaa Jill - that is not that bad ... I've seen worse (I'm in HR ... I deal with these things lol)

@Kristin - LOL! Of course you should send emails!!

[nietis]

I do #1 almost always.

[rach3975]

Unless I'm replying to someone else's email, I usually do #2. If I'm sending anything that could be sensitive (like a reply to a student's parent that I need to word very carefully) I sometimes even write it in Word and copy it over so that there's no chance of anything being sent too soon!

[AmieN1]

I'm just like you Trina! I work from top down- especially if I have to add attachments- that way i don't forget to attach them! lol!

[Lidia G]

When I was working, I would almost always do #2 unless it was just a quick reply. I liked to write the email, let it sit for a while in my drafts, go back and read it a little later and if I didn't spot any errors or omissions, then I would fill in the "to" and send.

[LJSDesigns]

I do #1, but I should do it #2 because I have a "hair" trigger finger and often send the email by mistake before I have finished. LOL

[lizziej]

I get a lot of emails, and I send a lot of emails dail.

I almost always do #1. I'm a civil litigation paralegal, so I have to make sure I send certain emails to opposing counsel and often their staff so I can comply with the Rules of Civil Procedure. However, when I need to send an email that's worded carefully, I do #2 so I can mull over it. I'm copied on numerous emails between counsel, and there are times that I have to put in my two cents worth about it to my attorney(s), so I've gotten into the habit of forwarding the email to them, versus replying and taking off the other people for fear of having left one of them on. One of the attorneys I used to work with at a different firm did a reply all, and when I told him about it, he was like "oops," but at least it wasn't bad.

LOL, Jill!!

[Kiana]

Unless I'm doing a reply then I often am #2. I find that I need to gather my thoughts collectively first in writing the email and that sometimes lends to the "to" changing or I find that I have to add or remove people as I draft, so waiting to add them until the end works better for me.

[craftytam]

I create the email and then add the addressees. I'm afraid I'll send it before I'm ready if I add the address first