Monday's E-mail Mewl: Asking Before Looking

This mewl will be shared by those who have numerous Web Sites they need to keep on top of. Even if you have only one Web Site you still must deal with the volume of e-mail generated by your site. This means weeding through them, responding to them, filing them and responding to the responses.

If you are online for commercial gain, it is important that you respond to site e-mails in a prompt and courteous manner. That said, what many site visitors do not realize is that by virtue of how they e-mail a Web site will indicate the type of customer they will be. Many unfortunately in their initial contact come of as demanding, terse and lazy.

Many sites have a F.A.Q. = Frequently Asked Questions. How do you think you are perceived when you type a demanding e-mail for information readily available on the site owners F.A.Q.? My sites for example are clearly by me. Judith. My consulting site has my anime-me picture on every page. How do you think site visitors are perceived when I receive e-mails that start with Dear Sir?

Successful sites and businesses have their hands full taking care of profitable customers. You want to give the impression that you are going to be one of those. Not someone who feels their time is more valuable than the site owner's by expecting them to repeat what is on their site.

Before e-mailing any site, make sure the information you seek is not already included for your convenience. Then, if after a reasonable effort you do not find the information you seek, contact the site owner with courtesy and appreciation. You may find you get a faster and more detailed response with this approach.