Is it commonly accepted to postpone an Email for long time?

I am kinda with you on this as more and more people seem to think the only way to communicate is through e-mail and text. I get tripped up by my spam filter and can go days without checking in the spam folder where I will always find a couple e-mails that shouldn’t have been sent there and do the same apology routine. What else can you do?? If I really need to talk to someone I pick up the phone.

I’m in an environment where email is the preferred mode of communication. Emails that require a response are responded to the same day – even if the specific question cannot be addressed.

The concept of “checking” email from other accounts is no longer required – just use one place and link all of your accounts. That way you won’t have to go anywhere to see if you have new email.

Business wise they don’t even want you to look at email more than three times a day. Definitely no responding to every “You got mail” ping that comes in. The assertion is that it keeps one focused and not a slave to email. (lol). We know how that works for most of us!
Personally, I only wish I got personal email. That seems to have gone the way of the dodo bird since facebook.

Depending on the relationship, most people expect an email to be responded to within a short time frame. At my work it can be a matter of minutes to absolutely no more than 24 hours. In my personal life it seems to be no longer than 60 hours.

If I have not heard back from someone I am reaching out to within that time-frame, I figure they are blowing me off. If you went more than a week before responding, without an apology and a good explanation, I would consider rude.

You seem to have more email accounts than you can manage. If that is the best you can do, at least put an auto-respond that you will not check that account for a period of time.

But if I got an auto respond that you don’t check that account, or a reply form you that you don’t check that account, I would consider it rude that you gave me an address that you don’t care enough to check on a fairly frequent regular basis.

Why don’t you forward mail from your secondary accounts to your primary account?

Perhaps the people you reply late to have the same problem that you do.

I find it infuriating when people ignore their email, and almost always assume that a person is lying when they say they haven’t checked it or haven’t got around to it or can’t find it. Why have so many email accounts that you can’t look after them properly? Why not limit them to a small number, and use forwarding? I have 6 email accounts – 3 for spam, 2 professional, 1 personal. All but the spam are forwarded to one email address that I check at least daily. The message to my correspondents is that if I respect or care about them, I will answer their email in a timely fashion.

Another alternative would be to turn on the vacation responder on the email accounts you have decided to ignore. That way, the people who email you could get a notice (“I do not check this email more than twice a year. Please do not be offended when I don’t respond. Thanks”).

@dappled_leaves “and almost always assume that a person is lying when they say they haven’t checked it or haven’t got around to it or can’t find it.”

Really? You never make mistakes in life? I think you have some issues.

@marinelife and @dappled_leaves – I think this has to do with assumptions about how people manage their email. If I assume that everyone manages their email like me (gmail, empty inbox, smartphone with push gmail, etc) than it would be easy to believe that the only explanation is that the person doesn’t want to respond. The technology/method does not allow for that possibility. However, @dappled_leaves I’m learning that there are people (ahem..my wife…cough) manage their email as though it’s merely a pile of random papers on a desk. The lack of organization and method means that you’re lucky if the person actually reads your email.

Yes, I realize that some people do or rather don’t manage their email that way… I’m saying that this is disrespectful to their correspondents.

@dappled_leaves You are implying that people have a responsibility to respond. I don’t think so. Just as I can choose not to answer the telephone; I can also choose not to answer my email.

There’s always the “I forgot who you are but I am ashamed to ask” ^^

Dunno I postpone email a lot too, I can say I postponed one for a couple of years even though i had the time to reply I just didn’t feel like it. Well good thing when I sent one I received a reply to where they forgave me ^^

@marinelife… sure you can. You can also choose to ignore me when I’m talking to you face to face. But you probably won’t keep me as a friend for very long if you do so.

@dappled_leaves Totally different situation. In the face-to-face situation, I agreed to be there interacting with you.

That is opposed to an unsolicited email.

@marinelife Well, if you don’t want any sort of relationship with the person (personal or professional), ok. But I’m not sure what that would have to do with the original question, in which the OP seems to be expecting an eventual interaction with the correspondents.

I maintain that it is a sign of disrespect to ignore any form of communication – even while I agree that unsolicited communication may be ignored. In those situations (e.g. spam), I am actively showing disrespect to the correspondent.