Digital Drivel

Only my second post, so I'm getting to it quickly. I doubt this will happen often.

The Spring rendition of Table and Fire Live brought Rex Miller who spoke on the shift in paradigm brought about by digital communications.

One of the significant premises was that we can all be publishers since the internet has allowed us that opportunity. That began me to thinking about one of these blogs. Took about six months, but here it is.

My only fear now is that I will fall into the pit that I first suggested was awaiting us all – instant publication of unedited drivel.

Reply to All

In the business world, hitting “Reply to All” indiscriminately on your emails is often on the top ten list of career limiting moves. It is especially bad when the IRS or a client is on the list, or when you see an email from someone you want to give some juicy gossip to (ignoring the other recipients). It doesn’t even matter if what you say is entirely true. If the wrong person gets it you might as well dust off your resume and start you job search.

I recently took a “reply to all” emailer to task because he suggested something that never happened. I kept getting calls from others in the office asking if I was going to respond to [no name]. I replied that I had, but privately. I could have made it a “flame” war by replying in kind – to everyone – but knew that I would just be guilty of the same error. By the time we went to lunch together a week later, it was ancient history and no longer worth mentioning.