I got the most astounding and rude email this week. I sent out a follow up email to a number of people who had filled out the application form to join my Virtual Assistant team but never took it any further. Basically I was just making sure they had realised there were more steps – I wasn’t sure if they’d seen the autoresponder messages (only 2 of them from a new service) after they’d filled out the form.
One response came back very quickly with two very loud and bolded words telling me where to go. Not signed off but when I scrolled through past emails for that particular address I was soon able to determine who had sent it, where they lived and other information based on the form they had originally filled out only a month ago.
Why are people so rude online? Or is this person like that all the time? I simply responded reminding them they had filled out the form (and sent them a copy of what I’d received) and hoped they had a better day from now on.
What they forget is that email can be forwarded on or saved and if this person contacted me again further down the track I’d be very wary of their ability to manage a business as a VA, be a representative of my team and treat clients in the way they should be treated – politely and with suitable language.
I encourage you to think carefully before hitting send. There are days when you can get annoyed or angry about something but don’t take it out through the email you’re sending – it could end up being the reason why you miss out on a job, lose a client or something else.
Kathie is the former owner of VA Directory and is former past President of the Australian VA Association. She founded the Virtual Assistant industry in Australia in the mid 90s, having already been operating a home-based secretarial service. Today the VA industry covers a multitude of office-based services for clients worldwide.
Terri Orlowski says
Kathy, this is so true. A friend’s mom used to say that you should never put something in writing that you wouldn’t want printed in the newspaper, because you never know what’s going to happen to it after you send it out. An email is really now different, and I think a lot of times, people think that if they don’t sign off on their email, you won’t know who it came from. In our technologically advanced world, knowing an email address can allow you to find out so much about a person. Or perhaps that person really is just that rude, and doesn’t think much about it. 🙂
Di Crane says
Kathie
I think there is another scenario we need to consider here. Whilst the first impression is to assume the person who sent the email was the same one who filled out the form information earlier, is this computer in a home environment with a cranky adolescent (not picking on adolescents)? I am by no means advocating the email response was acceptable, although in this virtual world in which we operate, who knows who is hitting send at the other end!
Wendy Davie says
Wow, some people really do mess up with their communication ability. How frustrating and rude. At least you know not to hire them, LOL.
Rahat says
People underestimate how powerful the written word can be. I think more people should think carefully before they write an email because just about everything online can be traced back to the individual who sent it.
Eva Ulian says
Dear Kathie,
Loved your article. Being spontaneous in my answers, I don’t hardly ever stop to think or even re-read what I have written. It may be a pity to bridle some colourful language but I must agree- there’s no need to be rude to prove a point. To do so means one has run out of that grey matter called intelligence. Come to think of it, the worst I’ve ever come up with was: “Hell, Mona, I’ll answer that when the moon turns green.” Mona, which is not her real name, answered- “I knew you’d say something like that.” So I guess it also depends on whom you are sending the email to how much offence is taken.