About Email

In the last week, two readers I respect have sent me angry emails lambasting me for never responding to their notes. I don't like to receive such missives. They create a lot of stress, and I'm pretty much at my maximum as it is. So please read the following and try to understand.

I get 300-400 emails a day. Most of them are from mail lists I'm on in order to stay in touch with what's going on politically and in the blog world. It's very hard to manage that much mail. I do so by frequently scanning my various accounts through out the day. If I see something I to which I feel I must respond, I do so immediately if I'm not jammed with work. If I can't respond then, I make a mental note to do so later and, more often than not, I lose the email or forget about it.

During the day, I scan my accounts using my cellphone. I can't respond if the message is sent to one of my charter addresses, because their servers will not accept mail from my phone -- it's one of their anti-spam measures. So I make a mental note to respond when I get home and, again, more often than not, I lose the email or forget about it.

Additionally, between work, family, blogging, research, and the satire, parody, and community building I'm doing in Second Life (come and attend Netroots Nation there this week), I don't have a lot of time to respond to email, not even that sent by real-life friends like Seattle Dan and Tammy (thank God they understand).

I enjoy receiving your email--especially the tips and reader feedback, so please keep sending it. But please don't be disappointed if I don't respond. Most of the time, I simply can't.

I'm basically doing the best I can, and although that is often not good enough, it's the best I can do. Please try to understand that.