AppleInsider › Forums › Other Discussion › AppleOutsider › Why don't college students know how to use email?
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:

Why don't college students know how to use email? - Page 2

post #41 of 48
9/18/08 at 2:07am
If you write an email that requires that your identification be known to the recipient, but you don't include any identification, it pretty much does show that you don't know how to send an email. It pretty much shows ignorance or stupidity on their part... or at least, carelessness.
Reply
Reply
post #42 of 48
9/18/08 at 7:40am
Yea. When I'm writing an email to someone for the first time out of the blue I always start with who I am where i work and what the connection is between me and them. Typically like this..

Hi Dr Smith,

I'm Bill Blow a research associate at the USC Gates Lab of biological science. I work with Dr. Jones's. He asked me to contact you about using your spectrometer ....


When I read other people's email I'm often thinking "Who the fuck is the person and why are they bothering me?".
The politics of charisma is so Third World. Americans were never going to buy into it for long. - Foudad Ajami
Reply
The politics of charisma is so Third World. Americans were never going to buy into it for long. - Foudad Ajami
Reply
post #43 of 48
9/18/08 at 7:02pm
Thread Starter 
I just got another one today. A question and no way for me to answer it without knowing the sender's name.

I know when you work somewhere, there are always these stupid things that you see people do constantly. If you work at Walmart, the customers always ask where the bathroom is even though there's a massive sign right there. Or they always try to go out the wrong door. Or whatever.

But usually there's a reason that you can at least understand. This I don't get. Does texting make you lose the ability to understand other forms of communication?
Reply
Reply
post #44 of 48
9/18/08 at 9:52pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by BRussell View Post

I just got another one today. A question and no way for me to answer it without knowing the sender's name.

I know when you work somewhere, there are always these stupid things that you see people do constantly. If you work at Walmart, the customers always ask where the bathroom is even though there's a massive sign right there. Or they always try to go out the wrong door. Or whatever.

But usually there's a reason that you can at least understand. This I don't get. Does texting make you lose the ability to understand other forms of communication?

I hope that you simply pasted the URL of that site I showed you and emailed it right back.
Gangs are not seen as legitimate, because they don't have control over public schools.
Reply
Gangs are not seen as legitimate, because they don't have control over public schools.
Reply
post #45 of 48
9/19/08 at 9:53am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by midwinter View Post

I hope that you simply pasted the URL of that site I showed you and emailed it right back.

I didn't have the heart to do that, but I just said "I don't know your name or your class," and she emailed back very apologetically.
Reply
Reply
post #46 of 48
9/19/08 at 11:00am
Quote:
Originally Posted by BRussell View Post

I didn't have the heart to do that, but I just said "I don't know your name or your class," and she emailed back very apologetically.

Seriously, you should just respond with that link. Works every time.
Gangs are not seen as legitimate, because they don't have control over public schools.
Reply
Gangs are not seen as legitimate, because they don't have control over public schools.
Reply
post #47 of 48
9/24/08 at 3:19pm
Dear AppleInsider Forum readers,
[RIGHT] 09/24/08[/RIGHT]

Some of these stories are great.

It really is a fascinating topic. People of different generations expect different email etiquette. But as for the student in question? Careless or stupid is my vote, no matter the age.

I'm over 30 now so it isn't just people in their 20s that grew up in the post (physical letter) era. That's right, I have never once written a personal letter. In fact, the only letters i've ever written, of any kind, were cover letters when applying to college. I've never interacted with a heal human teller at a bank either. Never payed by personal check in a store either. The list could go on...

With this as my background, the whole concept of a salutation in email seems preposterous. I've never addressed a recipient by name as the first line of an email. When I see it done, the first that comes to mind is someone two-finger pecking at a keyboard.

Sincerely,
Mr. D. Filer


P.S. For informal, social, email, I consider an automatic signature a no-no. If I do sign them at all, i use the first letter of my first name or my first name, never capitalized. To capitalize would seem pompous.
Reply
Reply
post #48 of 48
9/24/08 at 3:28pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by dfiler View Post

Dear AppleInsider forum readers,
09/24/08

Some of these stories are great.

It really is a fascinating topic. People of different generations expect different email etiquette. But as for the student in question, careless or stupid is my vote, no matter the age.

I'm over 30 now so it is not just people in their 20s who grew up in the post-physical letter era. That is correct; I have never once written a personal letter. In fact, the only letters I have ever written, of any kind, were cover letters when applying for college. I have never interacted with a heal human teller at a bank, either. I have never paid by personal check in a store, either. The list could go on.

With this as my background, the whole concept of a salutation in email seems preposterous. I have never addressed a recipient by name as the first line of an email. When I see it done, the first that comes to mind is someone two-finger-pecking at a keyboard.

Sincerely,
Mr. D. Filer

It shows.
Gangs are not seen as legitimate, because they don't have control over public schools.
Reply
Gangs are not seen as legitimate, because they don't have control over public schools.
Reply
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:
  Return Home
  Back to Forum: AppleOutsider
AppleInsider › Forums › Other Discussion › AppleOutsider › Why don't college students know how to use email?