How to ensure a response to your email

From my favorite site, Lifehacker:

How to ensure a response to your email

Friend of Lifehacker Eszter Hargittai details how to write emails to strangers that will get a response. For example:

Write a clear and descriptive subject line. The reason for carefully crafting the subject line is two-fold. First, you want to make sure your message is not filtered out by a program as spam. Second, you want to make sure the recipient does not delete your note manually, assuming it is unwanted junk mail.

Write a clear and descriptive subject line. The reason for carefully crafting the subject line is two-fold. First, you want to make sure your message is not filtered out by a program as spam. Second, you want to make sure the recipient does not delete your note manually, assuming it is unwanted junk mail.

The above may seem obvious, but in our efforts to keep up with the flood of email here at Lifehacker, you'd be surprised at how unclear subject lines can get (and how many times subjects are completely empty). The article is aimed at academics, but the tips are applicable to anyone writing an email to a stranger looking for help. If you've got your own bag of tricks, let us know how you handle email to strangers in the comments. — Adam Pash

A Primer on Electronic Communication [Inside Higher Ed]

Stop Work Distraction

A post over at 43 Folders reminded me of something I've been needing to do in the new year. Learn the "qualified yes". Somehow, while reading that post I stumbled on another relating to office distractions, it may have been over at Lifehacker. In fact, it was, so check out "Firewalling your attention at the office". One thing I would add is that in my company, some of the offices allow you to have a curtain or three-fold divider that you can put in front of your cube doorway. Some people put them up to take a lunchtime nap or just to have some privacy. I've also seen a sign on a string saying something like, Do Not Disturb. Procrastination Rectification in Progress." Then there's specialized roll-up doorway blocker, I think I saw one at Think Geek one time. Nope, not at ThinkGeek, try CubeDoor. It has a pattern on it but is also transparent and small enough that people could see around to know that you're working but still get the point. Now to work on that time management thing again...


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