What Happens To The Emails?

Some of my loyal emailers have recently asked what do I do with all of my emails that aren’t spam. Well, allot actually, let me explain. First I get rid of any more spam that snuck through, to include emails using a disposable email address trying to be clever. Secondly, I review the remaining subject lines looking for specifics such as submissions for The Magic Weekend, picture submissions, and other things I would immediately recognize, that is generally 100+ alone. Then, I review the notifications from wordpress, google+, facebook, and twitter. The remaining 50 or so emails are usually complaints or someone bitching me out for some reason or another, these are generally where I get my morning laugh from. Once I have sorted them all then I begin reading everything that has made the cuts. I reply to the one that require replies and either archive or delete the others. And then, sometimes, like today, I share an email which I felt was worth sharing.

We all know I have a few blog-stalkers and haters, but I truly have actual fans as well. There are times a post I have done prompts someone to go the extra step and email me about there thoughts. I generally only get emails I’m English or broken English so life is simple for me, but today I had one in Portuguese which I knew about every tenth word, so I had google translate it for me. The most of the email was questioning why I have never wrote her back, ever, about 15 emails in the last year, and was I mad at her for a particular reason. Apparently I have been deleting her emails assuming they were spam, as 95% of them ate in a foreign language to begin with. She went on to explain that she has repeatedly sent in her Magic Weekend story, including pictures, from her holiday in Florida. Baffled, I replied and asked her to put The Magic Weekend in the subject line and for sure I would get it the next time. About an hour later it arrived, the entire email in English, and an additional short note apologizing for the oversight and any misunderstanding. So, since she waited so long, hers will be the next in line for me to do today. Be looking for it.

In the end all I can do is ask people to use the subject line and it really helps when its in English. No telling how many emails I have dismissed as spam because of this happening. From now on I will look closer before deleting it as spam.