Instigator Blog - Latest Comments in Simple Email Hack: Get Your Questions Answered

Re: Simple Email Hack: Get Your Questions Answered

Raymond Popowich — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 02:35:40 -0000

Hello,

This is an interesting opinion. It's actually the opposite of what I would expect. I tend to ask my questions at the beginning of an email and then follow them with details. If I'm asking for help I'll include any troubleshooting steps that I have already tried. Are you a top poster or a bottom poster? Meaning when you reply to an email do you reply above the original email or trim the email down to the relevant information and reply under the original email and questions?

-Raymond

Re: Simple Email Hack: Get Your Questions Answered

Sam — Sun, 02 Sep 2007 11:05:50 -0000

This isn't even a hack it's just tips on how to get your stupid email question responded to, thanks for wasting my time, friend.

Re: Simple Email Hack: Get Your Questions Answered

Ben Yoskovitz — Fri, 03 Aug 2007 11:50:46 -0000

eve -- That's definitely a problem. It happens to me too -- you finally get a response from someone that you really want to hear from, but their response doesn't answer the questions you asked because they didn't really read the email. Very frustrating...

Re: Simple Email Hack: Get Your Questions Answered

Country Music — Fri, 03 Aug 2007 05:41:04 -0000

Excellent advice. i know a lot of times I get frustrated when questions I ask in an email don't get answered. Maybe it's something as simple as reformating my message.

Re: Simple Email Hack: Get Your Questions Answered

eve — Thu, 02 Aug 2007 15:16:47 -0000

Goodness! Great tips- I am going to start using them ASAP, I recently received an email back and from reading it, they didn't even READ 3/4 of the email, let alone answer the one question I asked! Thanks!

Re: Simple Email Hack: Get Your Questions Answered

Palm Coast — Sat, 28 Jul 2007 02:29:29 -0000

Definitely some great tips right there, thanks for sharing.

Re: Simple Email Hack: Get Your Questions Answered

Wake Up Early — Thu, 26 Jul 2007 14:38:10 -0000

In situations like this, if I have a very important question that I need answered, I always send it in a separate email, containing only this one question. That gives me more confidence I'll get the answer :)
Should be carefuly with this advice though - you do not want to be considered as a spammer :)

Re: Simple Email Hack: Get Your Questions Answered

Ben Yoskovitz — Thu, 26 Jul 2007 09:19:58 -0000

@Sara: I like your approach - send what you'd want to receive. "Do unto others..." right?

@Francis: No question. Bullet points and numbered lists - that's key in any email.

Even if it ruins the flow a bit, and seems a bit less personal, I regularly do this. If I want to make a few points in an email, I use a numbered list. Everyone can then reference the numbers later on.

Thanks for all the comments so far!

Re: Simple Email Hack: Get Your Questions Answered

Francis Wu — Thu, 26 Jul 2007 00:32:38 -0000

Pretty practical advice. Another tip is to take advantage of lists. Unline questions lost in a paragraph, lists of questions are very scanable.

Furthermore, because they're pretty structured, you can expect your response to be equally structured. An ordered list of 10 questions should yield 10 answers.

Re: Simple Email Hack: Get Your Questions Answered

Sara — Wed, 25 Jul 2007 20:03:23 -0000

oops. "rain" should be "brain". proving my own rule...

Re: Simple Email Hack: Get Your Questions Answered

Sara — Wed, 25 Jul 2007 19:58:28 -0000

Great post. I think it's important generally to think about what it would be like to receive the email you are sending out. Because email is nearly instant, it is often stream-of-whatever-jumped-into-the-rain (read: selfish) and is not simple, clear, or brief enough. Convey quickly what it is you want from the person; don't make them work through your thought process.

Re: Simple Email Hack: Get Your Questions Answered

A N Techie — Wed, 25 Jul 2007 17:25:17 -0000

I think you need to expand this to what I call the emailing "rule of one":

"If expecting a response to an email you are sending, you can only talk about *one* subject, or ask *one* question, otherwise the number of answers you get will almost certainly be less than the number of questions you asked."

So actually the previous posters are right AND the article is right. You should make your most important question both the first and the last question, that is, the *only* question. It's worth sending separate emails if you have more than one question to ask, you stand a much better chance of getting them all answered.

Re: Simple Email Hack: Get Your Questions Answered

David Airey :: Graphic Designe — Wed, 25 Jul 2007 16:19:13 -0000

Francesco, I think the main point is not to ask superflous questions.

Ben, nice write-up. I often read emails that contain much more info than is necessary.

Re: Simple Email Hack: Get Your Questions Answered

Futuristic — Wed, 25 Jul 2007 13:13:41 -0000

Nice tips, you know I thought the first question was the most important, apparently I should put that to the last one.

Re: Simple Email Hack: Get Your Questions Answered

francescomapelli — Wed, 25 Jul 2007 12:00:25 -0000

You still have to find a way to be sure the readers will readthe last question...

sometimes, the first question is the one that get the answer, because often people do not read the entire mail... don't you think?

Re: Simple Email Hack: Get Your Questions Answered

julien — Wed, 25 Jul 2007 11:57:26 -0000

now this is an interesting post! great tips in here dude.