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Email dangers…

CloudHidden | Posted in Business on October 21, 2005 08:40am

Ever have any bad business things happen with email? I just had two close calls, and it makes you a bit more cautious.

1. Sending some prints off to a few builders as part of an introduction to the clients. Used copy and paste as part of saving time. Changed names ok. Then a fraction before hitting the send button, noticed I’d pasted twice and didn’t change the second copy. So, almost sent one builder info addressed to another builder. Stopped in time.

2. Got an email from a client discussing two drawings I sent to her, but not making any sense. Didn’t follow from the questions I’d asked, and mentioned people I didn’t know. Soon got an “oops” followup–she’d meant to send it to her boyfriend, but hit “send” which replied to me instead. Luckily all the comments were great.

No harm, no foul in either case, but plenty of potential for a major faux pas.

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Replies

  1. john | Oct 21, 2005 10:14pm | #1

    That send button is so tempting, so easy. I haven't had anything bad happen yet, but I shall continue to treat that button like crossing a busy road

    John

    If my baby don't love me no more, I know her sister will.
    1. wane | Oct 21, 2005 10:19pm | #2

      any email you send should have a disclaimer on the bottom .. if not the intended recipient etc ... just add it to your automated signature line ..

      1. User avater
        Luka | Oct 21, 2005 10:57pm | #4

        Oh yeah, THAT'S gonna fix it when I accidentally send clown porn to his wife instead of him...
        Looking for enlightenment is like looking for a flashlight, when all you need the flashlight for is to find the flashlight.

      2. DavidThomas | Oct 22, 2005 04:00am | #9

        "any email you send should have a disclaimer on the bottom .. if not the intended recipient etc ... "

        I think those are stupid.  I see them all the time, especially from other consultants and from attorneys.   Like, if you send me some really juicy salicious stuff, I'm first going to read the last thing in the email, avert my eyes from the content, and delete, sight-unseen?  Yeah, right!

        And the 99.87% of emails that go to the right place?  Those disclaimers just plant doubt in teh mind of your associates and friends that you can direct emails appropriately.

        So let's just save the electrons and the bandwidth and do without the disclaimer attached to every email.David Thomas   Overlooking Cook Inlet in Kenai, Alaska

      3. User avater
        rjw | Oct 22, 2005 04:18am | #11

        >>any email you send should have a disclaimer on the bottom ....

        FWIW, those disclaimers started getting added to fax cover pages in the mid to late 80's when a major NY law firm in a big, complex litigation matter sent a strategy email to the opponents, not the fellow co-counsels.

        Caused huge embarrassment for the firm, of course, and many idiot lawyers started adding: "If we sent this to you by mistake, please don't read it!"

        Yeah, right.

        Folks are paying (or were then) $600 an hour for that kind of legal "analysis."

        And now they add them at the END of emails!?!?!

        Yeah, right!

        No wonder Bush got elected!

        View Image

        Sojourners: Christians for Justice and Peace

        1. donk123 | Oct 22, 2005 05:18am | #12

          rjw;

          It's still going on, but in another way. Tax laws now have limited what lawyers and accountants can offer as advise. Apparently, the IRS has declared in some situations, they must approve the proposed situation, in advance, or it's no good. They went further and said that the professionals must tell their clients this, in writing. 

          I was at a friend's house not long ago, and he pulls out these two opinion letters from two different white shoe NYC law firms. (He works for one of the two.) Both of them say in essence, Dear Client: We know you asked a tax question, and we really want to give you an answer, but the only one who really knows the answer is the IRS. And by the way, until they review this, we don't even know if our advice constitutes legitimate legal/tax advice, [despite the fact we are charging you 12 gazillion dollars] and if it's not legitimate, the IRS is gonna kick your ...

          If I got a letter like that, I would never go back to the firm again. The only problem is that all of the firms are using similar disclaimers, because they have to.

          Don K.

          1. User avater
            rjw | Oct 22, 2005 05:41am | #13

            Nothing new there.Legal opinions are always conditioned, esp when they depend on a future decision by a regulatory agency.And, ultimately, it makes sense: on an undecided issue, until they invent perfect crystal balls, no one in their right mind would give an "assured" answer - and no one in their right mind would pay a lawyer who would give such an answer.Remember, most of the time, you're not asking a question that has already been answered!Part of the business lawyer's job is to give information so the client can make a sound business decision among the alternatives.And, in those relatively rare cases where the lawyer can say: "no, you can't do that" a good lawyer will say, "but here are some other structures/avenues/whatever to get you to about the place."

            View Image

            Sojourners: Christians for Justice and Peace

  2. User avater
    BossHog | Oct 21, 2005 10:47pm | #3

    I haven't done anything TOO seriously wrong. But...

    Went home one day and DW was really snotty. I figured she was in a bad mood, and pretty much ignored her. She just gets like that sometimes.

    After about a week, she finally loosened up and got on my case about sending out "pornographic" emails. I had no clue what she was talking about. (I don't send/recieve pornographic stuff)

    Eventually she told me one of her friends was mad because I had sent some terrible email to her work email address.

    After doing some checking, I figured out what had happened. Someone had emailed me a joke that had one small, topless pic in it. (I figure it was about PG-13)

    I thought it was rioutously funny, so I hit the forward button. Then I got in my address book and clicked on the names of the folks who I thought would also enjoy it. (All guys, obviously)

    But I had mistakenly missed a name by one line and sent it to this friend of DW's. And rather than tell me what had happened and/or ask me to NOT send her stuff like that, she choose to tell DW about it.

    .

    Before any of you ask - No, I don't still have the email, so I won't send it to you.

    Everywhere I go, I'm asked if I think the universities stifle writers.
    My opinion is that they don't stifle enough of them. [Flannery O'Connor]
  3. User avater
    txlandlord | Oct 21, 2005 11:26pm | #5

    Have not had any email problems, but I did get a doctors prescription to a pharmacy on my fax machine. Pharmacy fax last digits 2292 our fax 2229. Told my wife and she said it was not the first time.

     

  4. User avater
    jonblakemore | Oct 21, 2005 11:40pm | #6

    I haven't been aware of that specific problem (yet) but I do have a similar issue.

    I recently got a Blackberry and use a bluetooth headset with it. Often, when a call is terminated I let the other person hang up and my line just clicks off after a few seconds. I do this because the phone may be sitting on the passenger seat, in my bag, or other places not very convenient.

    The problem is when another person clicks over to another call the phone line does not go dead. There have been times when I thought I was done with talking to people and 5 minutes later they come back on the line. I know that sooner or later I will be talking to someone else about the person I was just talking to on the phone and get busted.

     

    Jon Blakemore

    RappahannockINC.com Fredericksburg, VA

    1. Snort | Oct 22, 2005 12:49am | #7

      Ha, funny you should mention that. I have a cousin named Steve, and my best client's moola dispensing guy's name is Steve, also. Sent out a pdf bill w/ Steve in the TO: box. Cuz writes back saying just cauz he beat me up when we were kids was no reason for me to bill him now<G>I ended up getting paid a week late, dang good thing I'm independently wealthy, yar!None the less, email has been the best contact device to come down the pike for me.By the way, what ever happened with the dome you were designing in Chapel Hill? Did it ever come to fruition? "what's in a name?" d'oh!

      1. User avater
        CloudHidden | Oct 22, 2005 03:25am | #8

        >By the way, what ever happened with the dome you were designing in Chapel Hill? Did it ever come to fruition?Finished the design. Got paid. Referred some builders. They were never able to get ahold of him. Total mystery. Life moves on.

  5. DavidThomas | Oct 22, 2005 04:05am | #10

    "Ever have any bad business things happen with email?"

    Not business, but in moderating a forum and trying to rein in a little brouhaha that had erupted, I sent a message of thanks to a poster who was helping out.  Almostly flamed one of the participants but took the high ground and kept it more neutral. 

    Clicked "send". 

    7 milliseconds later, I notice it went to the whole forum, not the one helpful poster.  Glad I was diplomatic in my message.  A good lesson.

    David Thomas   Overlooking Cook Inlet in Kenai, Alaska

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