I’ve put this off long enough, but with my inbox currently (and usually) stuffed with around 550 or so unattended-to messages, this MUST be done.
BEFORE YOU EMAIL ME, there need to be some ground rules understood.
1. Unless I sign up for your mailing list, DO NOT sign me up for yours. That includes email with daily or near-daily updates to your blog. That is the FIRST way to make sure I don’t read your mail or link to you. If you have something you want linked or read, you need to ask yourself a few questions:
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a) Is this something Beth is interested in and writes about often? If you don’t know, then why are you asking me?
b) Are you sending this to a big list of blogs? Please, then, make sure you either admit you haven’t checked to see if we’ve written about it already, or DO check.
c) Do you even read MY blog?
2. Again, do you even read my blog? Are you aware that I don’t ever write about your pet issue? Are you aware that I don’t have the time or desire to write about every single thing under the sun?
3. If you don’t have a blog but you found something interesting that you want ME to write about, why don’t you get your own blog? Or, why don’t you write something about it yourself and send it to me so I can post it? I’ll do that for my non-blogging readers, if it’s written to my standards. Spelling, grammar, credited sources! Don’t make me do your work! (I will, however, make extra effort for certain regulars whom I know and like–you know who you are.)
4. If you want your site to be blogrolled, FIRST, is mine? I can’t tell you how many times I’ve gotten email from people asking to be blogrolled when they don’t even have mine on theirs. And for those of you who carpet-bomb the blogosphere asking for such linkage, forget it. There’s one making the rounds this week, asking everyone and their dog to be blogrolled. Have you seen my blogroll? At this point, it’s more than long enough. Call me crazy, but I like a more personal touch when being asked for linkage. SECOND, if you want me to read your blog and link it, LEARN TO SPELL. Get a spell-checker or something. I will neither read nor blogroll a site with poor writing. Sorry, it’s a personal issue with me. I can’t STAND poor writing skills. (And yes, I know there’s at least one on my blogroll who’s a horrible writer. Deal with it. My blog, my decision.)
5. DO NOT write me telling me “you should blog about” whatever it is you want. I am not your personal secretary. You can send me stuff you know will interest me, and I’ll decide if I want to write about it. Blogging is not my full-time occupation, and the pay sucks.
6. Please understand that if I can’t get back to you, it’s because of the nitwits that fill my inbox with other stuff AND because I actually do have a life away from the computer. And to be honest, if I’ve let email sit unattended-to for long enough, I pretty much forget about it or say, “oh well, it’s been a month, might as well delete it.” There’s no way I can possibly respond to or act upon every email I get (nor do I necessarily want to–see the above). There are also times when links are sent that I do read but for whatever reason–usually because it gets lost in the shuffle–I don’t get around to posting about it. Just because I don’t link your thing doesn’t mean I don’t like it or don’t care; it might just mean I’m too BUSY. I don’t know how some people do it, but I can’t get to all of it.
7. Those of you who send me nice emails saying “how ya doin’” or “love your blog” or whatever are MOST appreciated. I do try to respond to these, but if I don’t, I hope you’ll accept my apology in advance. I’m guessing that the above will explain the (hopefully very rare) missing response.
8. About confidentiality: You may assume that I will not post your email unless you give permission (that’s not including link blegs–I know you are giving permission). I don’t subscribe to the view that all email is fair game on the blog, because I expect the same courtesy in return. I place an extremely high value on trust, and sharing email is a severe breach of trust. If I want to post something in your email, I will always ask you first, if it’s not already obvious (i.e. in the case of snark, etc.).
9. Hate mail: If you’re sending hate mail (which thankfully, is extremely rare), #8 is null and void. You’re fair game, and I’ll publish anything and everything I can find out about you while my readers and I have fun at your expense.
10. Finally, sometimes you should just leave a (relevant) comment at the blog rather than email.
These “rules” are subject to change/augmentation as necessary.
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