answering emails is one of most annoying side of blogging, especially when they come in high numbers - you really need to sift through a bunch of emails, some good, and some a total waste of time - most of the emails are requests to post stuff on the blog, but we figured, hey why not categorize them in themes.
so here's theme number 1, the good: the good are tips on various subjects, heads-up by friends and loyal readers, or requests from young guys who genuinely need help in raising awareness to their website or small business - sometimes it's about a personal matter, like simply finding a co-pilot for an upcoming race, we actually made an exception for this guy and published his request.
the second category is about the bad: those social media managers who send press releases, then follow-up with smart-ass emails assuming that the reason their news was not published is "language related"! well, what took you so long to discover that we're an english blog? i guess it will take you forever to realize that we don't publish such news!
third category is about the ugly: those are the "de facto" people, they send undisclosed emails to various media channels including you, confidently requesting publishing their news, no questions asked! oh... and thanks in advance! so how to go about this? well we try to be polite, see our below response to this guy, who is actually responsible for social media in one of the largest companies in kuwait:
so, a very politically correct email positioning his request as a simple misunderstanding, but was that enough? hah... a few days later the same guy sends the below email..
not sure what the hell is really going in this guy's head.. "send send send until they give up" must be his motto! well, i've got news for you buddy, we will never give up! so stop sending such emails we are not a newspaper for god's sake!
hahahah really wana know what actually he wants to b published & ur reply shud b like dis :P
"Dear
Please find the attached Slaps & Punches to be published on your face if we receive any further emails from you.
Kicks in Advance"
Strangely enough, this kind of attitude from PR and marketing execs in Kuwait is what's plaguing the social and blogging industry here! The "Blogs are at my beck n call" mentality that has them believing they can send pics of their managers shaking hands with other idiots from their companies.
At Kuwait Music for example, it is apparent as a child crying at night that we are a music site for Kuwait and a niche portal. Lo and Behold! We get tons of emails from advertising companies, retail stores and other companies in Kuwait that have absolutely no relevance to us :) In fact, what Ive done is created email filter rules that if the body does not contain "music", "musician" , "Kuwait" or local in it, I simply auto respond with a template describing what we do and a nice "NO"
sAVES ME TIME and lets me focus on the important things- Like Music and promoting local artists!
Ha Ha Ha… amazing idea, i should have done that…
Great thinking and solution, but i wish we can treat it at the source – since you are so tech savvy, send them back a virus that will basically destroy their email forever :)
What an idiot! -1000
I'd fire him immediately..
This is a problem in Kuwait that everyone follows suit. A blog is something the writer blogs about and it should be without force. I am glad that you do help other though which is fantastic.
thanks tkg – our pleasure as usual
As an expat blog in Kuwait we receive tons and tons of emails from mainly Westerners. They ask things like: where can I find a gf, can I drink there since I’m Western, will the salary offered be enough, where to live, is the benefits package that they were offered good enough, etc. We spend more time on emails than the blog (obviously LOL). I have two ladies that help but it’s still not enough. I’m happy to help out expat newbies but it takes up a lot of our time. The best emails yet: offering me a car for (I can only guess), needing a green card for the US, requesting a blonde gf or that time a local threatened to kill us because we gave his Irish gf advice on what to look for when dating here. He was a player and treating her like dirt. It’s an email adventure for sure. :)
ha ha ha… so blogging can be quite dangerous!! as for gf request, you need to delegate to the guards :)
That they offered* (Oops) :p
May be i should move to your building expat :)
@ Pat ~ LOL! Behave yourself! ;p Somebody needs a *slap*
I'd say Pat rather needs "spanking" he he
Queue in line ladies ..Looooool
someone thinks highly of himself! queue in line ladies??
Just saying.. love Rose's comments :)
@ Rose ~ LOL :) It’s much better to be on the receiving end of the spanking ;)
I like you already expat
My kind of girls :)
@Rose 💘💘💘 😘
:) :) :)
lovely …that marketing manager makes me laugh
quite a character!