Does Anyone Ever Read the "Forward To" In An E-Mail?
Posted: Thursday, February 26, 2009
by Gary W. Halsey Sr.
All Season Karaoke and D.J.
Okay....Pet peeve. How many of you have ever received the same e-mail like 10 times? I must get the same e-mails at least that many times, same e-mail, same content, only it keeps getting longer, and bigger, everytime it's sent, and everytime I receive it! Here's how it works. You get a great e-mail, the first thing that I usually do, is read it, then I typically respond to the sender without forwarding it, and then I check the "Forward To" area of the e-mail, to see who all it was sent to, THEN I forward it, if it's worth forwarding to someone, whose names are NOT on the list. I was talking about this to my daughter-in-law and we were cracking up on how many times we get these same e-mails.
Forward To: Mary, Kathy, Mark, Christine, John, Jennifer, Charlotte, Sara, Erick, Erin, Kim, Tania,Nathan, Jacob.
You send off your e-mail, and who do I get copies back from? Mary, Diane, Mark, Christine, John, Charlotte, Sara, Erick, Erin, Kim, Tania,Nathan, Jacob. All of them go through their address book, and just start clicking names without seeing if they were on the "Forward To" list. Now I not only have a copy of what I initially sent, but also from them, and everybody else they ADDED to the list to let it grow....and grow.....and grow. If I was to print out the "joke" lets say, when I first got it, it would print out only a couple of pages, well by the time the e-mail circulates, and comes back to me, you can print out 4 or 6 pages just in returns.
Okay, I know some of you may say, "Some folks might have you on a "distribution list" , and that is probably true, but never-the-less, I still get the multiple copies. How can I fix this? Should I put a statement in the Subject line saying "Please don't forward back to me"? I doubt that it would work. So what is the definitive answer? Any ideas? C'mon, help me out here, there must be a way!! In any event, I'm not really sure there is an answer, but I bet it happens to you...Let me know how you deal with it....Your friend in pen.....Gary.
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Top-level comments on this article: (8 total)Hi Gary.I don't forward many e-mails. They have to be really something (and I mean really) for me to want to forward them. The main reason is that these e-mails are frequently generated by nefarious people who just want to collect e-mail addresses for spamming purposes. Usually, embedded in the code somewhere is spyware that tracks and collects all the addresses it is sent to. So if you want to cut down on spam (assuming you don't already have a good filter) and getting the same e-mail returned to you over and over, then you have to start forwarding them less.But I understand your plight. Sometimes you just gotta share them.My best to you,DianneWell thank you Dianne, and you are probably right, I just have to stop forwarding them....although some of them are really great. But still, it leaves the door open I suppose. Its always a pleasure to hear from you, and I am in the reading mode right now, so I can't wait to see your latest....I hope this comment finds you well, and thanks for reading my article!!! Your fan, and friend in pen.....Gary.
hi gary,i don't like forwards, either, as a whole, although i have received some valuable ones, to me.in the subject line, maybe you could put, "this forward's been to me, please pass it on to others" i would take note of that if i saw it, and i'd understand it, as most people who forward anything or receive forwards would know.i don't know what else to say. maybe try a few things, and see what works best. good luck,best regards,sueHiya Susan, thank you so much for dropping by, and reading my article, I can't wait to read your latest. And your right, there is not much you can say, because I really don't think there is a fix for this, but hey, it was fun to write about it....but you are really kind to stop by and read it, and comment on it also.....I will be by to see some of your work today....take care, and your fan and friend in pen.....Gary.
Hi Gary! How great is this... I think you should say "please don't forward back to me" in the subject line. I hate all the forwarded messages that tell me I have 10 minutes to forward or else. I delete all of them. Even the ones that will tell me that something good will happen to me if I do. thanks for the great read. Short and to the point. Blessings to you my friend! TeresaTeresa, I think you just solved my problem, and that is to "just delete" them. Wa La, that will work...but sometimes they are cute jokes, that I just have to pass on to my daughter in law, and other members of the family. But if I do that, I will just put in the subject line, "I am the one sending this, do not forward back to me"...does that sound good enough? I think it does.......Thanks for reading my article, and as usual I love your work, I did include your name in one of the articles that I did about receiving the "Money angel" email....I wrote a nice little thing in there about you as well.....God Bless and thanks again!!! Your fan, and friend in pen......Gary.
HI GaryI get so many emails forwarded to me but I never ever forward them on, reason is I never read them. With work and emails relating to something personal to me I don't have time to look at them and to be honest they are a bit of a pain as I think I have a ton of email and find it's just fun stuff, which would be nice, but for me email is mainly a work thing.I had a pal who sent all her pals a very curt email asking them not to send her 'mass' email things for same reason. Twas funny, I bet no one dare send her any now and when I write to her I always put ' this is NOT spam' in the headline to make sure I don't end up in the recycle bin!
She's lovely though :)Hiya CB, thank you for reading my article, and supporting your not so local writer....hee..hee..hee...I just love your accent. I can hear it in your writing, did you know that? This was a fun write, I don't really think that there is a "cure" for this plague, however, your suggestions are good. I think I will just "Delete Them". Saves pain all the way around.......hahaahhaha, Love your work as you know, and look forward to my next read. Thanks again for taking the time, your fan, and friend in pen......Gary....
What always gets me is the way people don't clear out all the previous Fwd details, so I normally end up receiving a 5-page email, 90% consists of long lists of names it was previously fowarded to, and the names it was forwarded to before that, and before that...ad nauseum. Hundreds of strangers' names and email addresses. Oh well, it might be of interest to people researching Six Degrees of Separation I guess! :)The actual bit being forwarded is usually just a couple of lines, usually a short joke or a single image.If that is all you want to forward, then only forward that - delete the details of all the previous Fwds...I'm begging you! :)Ben, thank you for reading my article, and you comments are absolutely right on target, I don't know why the don't delete all the names either...I usually do, only to cut down on unwanted "stuff" that is attach that is of no consequence to the person your forwarding it too!!! I really appreciate you humor...thanks so much for the comments....Your friend in pen, .......Gary. (With no attachments).....lol
It's too bad our money didn't do the same thing; we'd never have to work again.Personally, I don't forward email. I usually read it (or not), then dump it. I barely have time to read all the articles on this site, without reading all these emails that come my way.I hear ya David. I laughed at the part about the money....hahaahahaha that is so true. It would be great if our money would accumulate like that, I would then welcome it..even encourage it. hahahhahaha Hope your doing well....I am making my weekly rounds of reads today...I will be seeing you soon!!! Hope your week went well. Your pal, and friend in pen.......Gary.
Just get rid of all your family and friends Gary, simple as that. Heck, no one ever sends me funny jokes, or any email for that matter. Note to self: Must remember to work on reestablishing family ties while weighing out the risk of blowing up my inbox, huhm, what to do what to do.Thanks for the thoughts and entertaining read! lolWell thank you for commenting Myla, I always look for to reading your articles, and I just know that you are secretly a comedian....I just know it. You do this for a profession huh?...I just know it....oh....I can forward you a bunch of my stuff, with all the attachments and tons and tons of distribution list....(make note to self, be sure to notify family and friends that they could be getting colorful metaphors from someone named Myla)!! hahahahaha Always a pleasure, your fan, and friend in pen.....Gary.
Funny stuff here! The only surefire cure is use your computer as a boat anchor!!!Howdy Ken, thank you so much for all of your reviews and the review on this one. I really appreciate your comments and you have been a real pal. I will review yours as I promised...remember the Ken Weekend!!! lol.....I am going to attempt to get my gold back, as I find this rating stuff really frustrating. It takes allot of hard work, and full time dedication to keep your ratings up, and I just don't have that kind of time. I truly don't know how these folks maintain their rating, except for writing 100% of the time.....I have enjoyed everybodys articles, and I will surly miss this place, as the people here are great!! I am just frustrated with the rating system on here. and have decided to go elsewhere for awhile, but I will still come back, and read my friends articles from time to time....I will probably write for Webgazine for awhile. But I was offered a job writing part-time for one of our local small newspapers here in Tucson....and I am entertaining the offer....I am very disappointed to see the silver up there...I am trying to find somewhere where they don't rate you at all....I just want to write. I think once you make your rating, you should be able to keep the rating.....especially since one has earned it...I am going to dedicate this weekend for you my friend, as you have been a true buddy here on SearchWarp, and I am glad SearchWarp has you as a member...You are truly a great writer....and I do enjoy your work....Your friend in pen, and fan.......Gary. Thanks again.Gary, my heart sank when you said you're going elsewhere. I had just submitted my latest article about popularity and ratings in which you are featured right before I read this rcomment from you.Anyway, I hope the invite for coffee is still on.I also hope you change your mind...uh oh.....I'm sorry Ken....I am just a tad frustrated with the rating system, but I will be around, and I am still going to see if I can get my ratings back up where the should be, but you know how it is when you have to work, and then sometimes you don't get to write, like right now, I am working a ton of overtime, and not getting the time to write as much, and therefore when you sit down to write another article and see that you have lost almost 6,000 points off your rating, its a little disheartning...I would rather not be rated at all, you know what I am saying? But rest assured, I will promise you that I will still be around...and I am determined to get my ratings back up when I stop working all of this blasted overtime.....I'll be here for ya buddy...promise.....I'm sorry , I think what I wrote I came across wrong in what I said...and by leaving for awhile, I meant "overtime"lol......I will be here though....and that is a promise....can't stop reading my articles from the fan clubs I joined....they depend on my input just like I depend on yours...and you are a good friend....so, long story short, I will still be here. Okay? Your pal, and friend in pen......GaryI was never able to get a handle on the rating system, I still try, but, well, you know. I mean, some don't submit for almost a year and still have their high points. It is just so wierd that the article I submitted before I read your comment was about that very subject!! I'm freakin' out over here!Fortunately my job has a computer where I can submit and read if the workload allows, and lately it has.I will look into Webgazine as well.Write On, Dude!!
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