A Lesson in Email Correspondence

What's the object of emails? It's written correspondence, right? I write something to you, you READ IT and write something back to me, I do the same, and so on and so forth. It's like IM, only slower... or letters, only faster.

Anyway, the only way one can effectively respond back to someone is by - say it with me, children - READING the received email first. Otherwise, what are you responding back to??

Now, I thought this little tidbit was common sense... that it was just the natural order of things. Nay. Rather, I find myself having to remind people who reply to my emails that they should go back and "carefully read" my original message, and then "respond accordingly." I'll give you a good example, generalized for the protection of the stupid:

I receive a document from a colleague that requires revisions. I send said document back to the colleague, outlining the revisions that need to be made. The document comes back to me, missing various requested revisions. I send it back, outlining which revisions still need to be addressed.

Email from Colleague: Please see the attached corrected document.

Email from me to Colleague: Xxxxx, I already received this document yesterday, but the requested revisions have not been made. I sent a follow up request to your office yesterday afternoon. Please see the request, which I have attached here.

Email from Colleague, 15 minutes later: Please see the attached document, which was also sent to you yesterday. Is it still incorrect? Please advise.


Ummmm... I'm not sure which part of my email was unclear. Was it the part where I said I already received the document yesterday? Maybe it was the part where I said the requested revisions had still not been made. Maybe the attachment is what confused her. Or maybe she didn't read my GD email. I'm pretty sure it's the last one, since I responded back to her, asking her to read my previous email, and she has not since replied back.

Final note: I know we all like to skim emails, especially long ones. But if you're in a work environment and don't want to look like a moron, please remember that READING IS FUNDAMENTAL.