Reply to All... Don't Do it!

There are thousands of email blunders out there. I can recall sending a colleague a note which he forwarded on without carefully examining the content first. The content, to my discredit, was not the type which would have been viewed favorably by the new recipient. Ouch. That hurt. Chalk it up as a lesson I knew better but ignored at that moment. Don't send anything you wouldn't say out loud.

Here's my latest, and ongoing pet-peeve, the "reply to all" function. Wow. What a handy tool that is wildly misused and causes veins to throb everywhere!  Just stop it. Does everyone on that list need to see that you are indeed planning to attend or bring materials, or .... (stop me before I get out of line here)? No, they don't.

The sender wanted to blast a number of people at the same time so that they could all receive the same message at the same time. It was not meant as an open invite for 100 people to learn about the confirmation or rant of the other 99. The others don't need your input, most likely. So, don't reply to all.

It's a shame that it has to be written but I do see more of this now.... "Please do not reply to all if you reply at all. Reply only to the original sender of the email."  Duh. (I haven't used that word in decades by the way but it really fits here.)

In the last 3 weeks my inbox has swelled beyond the normal chaos because people have chosen to reply to all to show their enthusiasm for a project. Show your enthusiasm by showing up, contributing, bringing in sponsors, writing a book, .... I don't really care but not in the reply to all.

When you reply to all you are intruding upon an already full system, email. People are trying to decrease their boxes not get more. Do your part. Be a professional. Show you are a little smarter than that. Do Not Reply to All unless it is absolutely essential that everyone on that email receive your input. 9 times out of 10 it is NOT appropriate.

Thank you. All of you.