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This. Even if you are emailing an old friend for a favor, put your request up front then put the cordial stuff after, its much more sincere that way. > Joe, w

by thomk 6y ago

This. Even if you are emailing an old friend for a favor, put your request up front then put the cordial stuff after, its much more sincere that way. > Joe, we are looking for advisors to sit on our board. This is a non-paying position so I'm emailing all my old friends and asking for favors. Hey, how are you? How is your wife and son? Either way lets get together soon! --Aaron

travisjungroth 6y ago
That reads really weird. Putting a greeting in the middle of an email is jarring.
parallel 6y ago
I disagree with this but it may just be a style thing. Reading "Hey, how are you?" in the middle of the content put me on guard, I feel like I might be being manipulated somehow.
have_faith 6y ago
"hey, how are you" in he middle of an email after a request is very strange. Asking for something and finishing with the non committal "let's get together soon" is also a red flag that you might want something from me from a business perspective but are only feigning interesting from a personal perspective.
Jedd 6y ago
I really rail against people who think 'This.' is a sentence, let alone a useful contribution. It's especially galling when the topic is 'Put your question / point in the first sentence / paragraph' and someone's first word, sentence, and paragraph is simply 'This.'
- objectivetruth 6y ago
  It's not supposed to be a sentence, and not every useful communication needs to be a sentence. It IS a shorthand for THIS sentence: "I agree completely with this article/post/comment." It's usually paired with a follow-up comment adding an additional point or related thought, which makes a lot of sense since this construct originated in a medium with a limited number of characters. You'll notice people don't say "This," in oral conversation; they say "Yeah," or "I agree." But even "This" on its own, meaning "I agree with this," is a useful contribution to a discussion. Sometimes "I agree with this" is all that needs to be said, and lots of us decided it was OK to shorten that to "This." Very interesting what galls people into railing against certain language usage! :-)
gozzoo 6y ago
This sounds very transactional, the personal concern seems to be an aftertoghth. I was struggling with this dilemma recently, when wrting an email. Knowing what you just said, that your request should be in the first paragraph, and at the same time wanting to show humman connection, I don't think that I did very good job. Still haven't found a smooth way to express both things in the first sentance/paragraph. I guess, it depends on the person you are writing to.

by thomk 6y ago

travisjungroth 6y ago

That reads really weird. Putting a greeting in the middle of an email is jarring.

parallel 6y ago

I disagree with this but it may just be a style thing. Reading "Hey, how are you?" in the middle of the content put me on guard, I feel like I might be being manipulated somehow.

have_faith 6y ago

"hey, how are you" in he middle of an email after a request is very strange. Asking for something and finishing with the non committal "let's get together soon" is also a red flag that you might want something from me from a business perspective but are only feigning interesting from a personal perspective.

Jedd 6y ago

I really rail against people who think 'This.' is a sentence, let alone a useful contribution. It's especially galling when the topic is 'Put your question / point in the first sentence / paragraph' and someone's first word, sentence, and paragraph is simply 'This.'

objectivetruth 6y ago
It's not supposed to be a sentence, and not every useful communication needs to be a sentence. It IS a shorthand for THIS sentence: "I agree completely with this article/post/comment." It's usually paired with a follow-up comment adding an additional point or related thought, which makes a lot of sense since this construct originated in a medium with a limited number of characters. You'll notice people don't say "This," in oral conversation; they say "Yeah," or "I agree." But even "This" on its own, meaning "I agree with this," is a useful contribution to a discussion. Sometimes "I agree with this" is all that needs to be said, and lots of us decided it was OK to shorten that to "This." Very interesting what galls people into railing against certain language usage! :-)

gozzoo 6y ago

This sounds very transactional, the personal concern seems to be an aftertoghth. I was struggling with this dilemma recently, when wrting an email. Knowing what you just said, that your request should be in the first paragraph, and at the same time wanting to show humman connection, I don't think that I did very good job. Still haven't found a smooth way to express both things in the first sentance/paragraph. I guess, it depends on the person you are writing to.