Reply to All: The Demise of Many of Us

We’ve all done it. ‘Reply to all’ when really you meant to reply only to the one who sent it to you. The worst one for me was when I was working with a politician. He emailed me something another elected official sent him and brilliant strategist that I am, I sent the following email back to what I thought was my politician client, “I told you he was an idiot. He’s even dumber than I thought. Distance yourself quick!” I got an email back from the politician to whom I referred which read, “Tell me how you really feel about me. And, who’s the idiot?” He had a point. I emailed apologies to everyone except his mother, and I vowed I would never err like that again. I have done it again, but never as bad as that one.

Then there is the problem of forwarding emails so much that the earliest ones which shouldn’t be read by those now in the string of emails is read by them.

Ten years ago the worst thing you could do is lose your temper on someone’s answering machine. Now there are tens of technologies to catch you in the mistake of saying something you wish you hadn’t. It’s exhausting.

The key is to never, ever, ever write down anything in an email, in a text, on a twitter, in Facebook, or on someone’s voicemail that you don’t want to be heard by anyone in the entire technology universe. This is your only hope of sleeping well at night. It really is, and as for pictures, let’s not even go there. I keep telling the younger generation that once you post it on Facebook it’s out there forever. Forever is a long time. I would say to just ask Paris Hilton about that, but she’s not smart enough to realize that tape is still out in cyberspace and will be for her children’s children.

Well, I learned my lesson. Hope you have as well.