I went to this private college in Southern Ohio that prides itself on being technologically advanced. That was actually one of the things that pulled me to it. Years before I even stepped foot onto their campus they had wired every single dorm room with a broadband network connection and supplied every dorm room with one computer. Considering it was the mid-90’s that was quite a feat. By the time I got there, you pretty much did everything on the computer from registering for classes to checking your phone bill. It was even in the manual that you were required to check your email at least once a day. Email was the main way people communicated. Usually when you got up in the morning there would be 4-5 emails sitting in your inbox regarding announcements for upcoming events. By the time the day ended, there were probably 20-30 emails that came in. So, if you didn’t check it and check it often you would be overwhelmed, not to mention completely left out of the loop.
I now have a job that is almost as equally adamant about email. While there isn’t a mandatory requirement on checking your email every day, managment does send out a lot of information and if you don’t check it, you will be lost…literally. Email has become a primary vessel of communication for me and pretty much everyone I know. I say “pretty much” because there are a few out there that still don’t get it. And that is what this post is mainly about. I just don’t understand how people in a professional environment can not use email regularly, let alone completely not at all! It’s such a time efficient way to communicate, especially when it comes to communicating with large groups of people. Why there are people who have daily internet access that don’t check their email, or don’t even have an email address at all completely boggles my mind. Even my father checks his email pretty regularly…you would think that people of my generation would at least be able to keep up with him!
Anyway, that’s my rant for the day. I imagine that anyone savvy enough to check my blog won’t exactly fit into the category I’m describing, but I have a feeling that you might share in my frustration.
just check your email people!
where I work, if you are someone who has an email account (some people don’t like cooks or people who mow the grass) you have to check and communicate via email. if you didn’t you’d end up getting fired because you didn’t do something you were supposed to or didn’t get back to someone who emailed you. there are lots of people where i work that have blackberrys and communicate via email constantly, in the car, in a meeting, at their desk, when they are on a trip, at home.. 24/7.