The kind of emails I get
:: Sunday, March 2nd, 2008 @ 12:45:17 am
:: Tags: Rants
Here’s an email I got today:
What filter do you use on that 20d conversion, and which service to you pick, did you get the Deep BW IR Filter Image? Thanks alot for the advice.
I get stuff like this all the time. Now, why would I reply? The guy has not introduced himself nor given me any reason to spend my time answering his question. Furthermore, a Google search for “Eric Cheng 20d infrared conversion” provides the answers as the first link.
I often get emails like this, asking about the variety of topics found on my website. It is easy enough to delete them, but I often wish the internets offered a “bitch-slap” feature as well.
Journal RSS 
I’m fairly sure that posting the email on your site and ranting on it constitutes a fairly significant bitch slap!
In other news, what filter do you use on that 20d conversion? ;)
“Now, why would I reply?”
Because replying with information and helping spread knowledge, even to the ignorant (strike that, ESPECIALLY to the ignorant) makes the world a better place.
Adam, I agree fundamentally, and that is why I post so much stuff on my website. However, you can’t expect to reach out to a random person and ask a question in a way that demands an answer. You have to introduce yourself at the very least. Otherwise, it’s rude.
The information he’s looking for isn’t life-changing. The world isn’t going to be a better place if I answer him privately. It’s luxury information he’s looking for, and it’s already public. The point was that the guy didn’t bother to even do a Google search, which is why I didn’t feel a need to reply.
I think you would change your tune if you received 10 emails like this a day — the same stuff regurgitated, all because people would rather waste your time than think constructively for themselves.
So, how do you make your money? :D :D
If only I could reproduce some of the stuff I get lately. Everything from “Fix my website so it works in firefox” (to my amusement I visited a link once to see it was just an activex object on a page), to “my hotmail is broken”, to “I paid for _____ and I can’t access it. My credit card # is _________ please fix it before I sue you”.
No kidding.
Likely because of my firefox hacking for reporter. But it’s insane some of the stuff I get because of people’s crazy google searches. You’d think people would look at the nature of the site before sending stuff, but clearly they don’t.
[...] The kind of emails I get | Eric Cheng’s Journal Yeah, I love rude “tell me stuff” email messages I get, too. And, by love I mean hate. Ditto for those same types of blog comments. “I noticed you blogged about disks. Tell me how to recover my data from my dead disk.” Grrrr. [...]
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WOW!! so rude with people!
I must admit, the email came at a bad time. I have way too much work these days, and the fact that people write these questions without so much as an introduction rubs the the wrong way.
you are famous, spy!
i suggest you make a bitch slap icon. 8)
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