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E-Mail Prospecting

Reprint from Life Unplugged Column, Tucson Green Magazine. January

by Susan L. Feathers

The flat screen delivers a slew of messages- everything from cleansing your colon to political actions that must be taken now to avoid (fill in any number of social ills). And, how did Harry, the Spam King's email blasts get past Block Sender again? Oi vay!

~ What is e-mail but one of life's little spasms? ~

Prospecting for a connection to a real human being, I search among the urbane and germane for the little gems buried in gray cold ore. I chip away- delete, delete, delete. Click.

A voice with feeling, humor, truth... palpable life! It's my father's daily note to his Family Council.

Talking Bear- our family's septuagenarian- calls his tribe to Council daily with a simple greeting: Good morning, Council. Well, here it is Monday again. Seize the moment, seize the day! Or, it could be a cryptic remark: Good Morning, Council. The shamans are worrying about the evil drumbeats from afar.

Along with Talking Bear's greeting we receive the Writer's Almanac, Word for the Day complete with an MP3 file for the correct pronunciation. Today's word is toady- one who flatters in the hopes of gaining favors. There is Biography for the Day, This Day in History, and finally a Classic Reproduction.  Today's is Edward Hughes' painting Bertuccio's Bride.

Dad's daily email posting to his Family Council connects my sisters and our children, friends, and the daughters of his WWII flight crew- their fathers have passed on and now Dad is their virtual parent.

After Talking Bear's jewel the rest of my email messages pale in comparison. But, oh! What's this? A girlfriend sends me Andy Rooney's essay about why he loves women over forty. Women get psychic as they age. You never have to confess your sins to a woman over 40.

Occasionally, too, there is a very intelligent email from a colleague or friend that stands apart from the other mutterings of the human race. I save it to consider.

~ Life unplugged can mean being selective about what you choose to read on email. ~

Guide to Email Prospecting

  1. Delete all ads and place them on your Block Sender list.
  2. Create folders to move I'll read it later notes off your computer screen. (I never read them but it cleans the screen and drops my blood pressure.)
  3. Read notes from trusted senders (people who respect your time and interests). And you don't have to respond to every note. Let silence reign. Create space. Pick up the phone for the really important communications.
  4. Take care of business but beware of opportunities to get out on the world wide web where everything is interesting- even compelling- but probably useless.
  5. Any prospecting that takes more than fifteen minutes is unhealthy. Walk away... and keep walking.