December 2006 Archives

Me Too!

Or as the geekier folks often write it:

<AOL>
me too!
</AOL>

I really don't know what it is that causes it, but for some reason email seems to bring out the "me too" in many people. You know what I mean: you'll have a discussion, either one-on-one correspondence or more commonly an exchange on a mailing list, and at its close or at some other juncture, you'll get a completely content-free email or collection of emails from some of the participants.

Perhaps we feel the need to let people know we're listening. Perhaps it's the email equivalent of an head nod. The problem is, as I said, that it's otherwise completely content free. As a result, unlike an actual head nod, it's difficult to ignore. Someone must download it, read it, determine its value (if any), and then dispose of it.