Emails are travelling through my thoughts today, and my computer!
A show of hands please; who has been guilty of this in past: sending an email to the wrong person?
The old saying that today’s news is tomorrow’s chip paper doesn’t really work when it comes to an email, the power of the internet means that it can be stored and sent to various incumbents and posted via various social media platforms and websites. I always find that filling in the ‘to’ field last has helped me in the past. A quick scan of the internet has highlighted that the law states that we do not own our emails. So many employees have been fired due to being quick off the draw in firing off emails to either the wrong correspondent or due to a severe error of judgement over its content.
So think before you send!
The power of the internet has transformed the world, of that there is little doubt; unfortunately there is also little doubt that it also has the power to cause a few difficult questions when handled incorrectly. One can only imagine how the Watergate scandal would have played out for Richard Nixon if the internet had been in existence.
I’ve also found that an email sent in anger can leave a nasty trail. Last month we saw again just how the electronic age can be the undoing of people. CIA director David Petraeus caught some rough internet waves all due to an email. No, my view here is to wait, sleep on it and take the heat out of the situation.
Used correctly of course the email is a wonderful addition to our lives. For anybody who travelled many years hence and had only airmail letters to correspond with loved ones will know that instant messaging is a God send when speaking to loved ones. And how would your business survive without email? Heavens above!
So the mantra is hesitate and think before sending that email
Until next time…
