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> If the entire email fits in the subject, put it in the subject. > If you think that's rude, it's not. > If you insist that it's rude, put 'Thanks!' in the b

> If the entire email fits in the subject, put it in the subject. > If you think that's rude, it's not. > If you insist that it's rude, put 'Thanks!' in the body. Please don't. It's rude, even with the meaningless 'Thanks!' in the body.

JumpCrisscross 6y ago
It could be considered rude to someone you don’t know. It’s fine to someone one works with closely. E-mails that add fluff to fill space, whether in the message or the subject, are frustrating.
- cgriswald 6y ago
  I’m not sure how you make that determination. For social reasons, the closer people are the more they may tolerate rude behavior they otherwise find unacceptable. For the same social reasons, if you ask them their opinion directly they may lie and say it doesn’t bother them at all. They may also exhibit behaviors they personally find rude, so even that is not a useful indicator.
  - JumpCrisscross 6y ago
    > I’m not sure how you make that determination Solely based on my actions and reactions. People who take a simple confirmation and turn it into a multi-line e-mail are, to me, frustrating. People who do that in time-sensitive contexts are memorably infuriating. Then again, I’ll write similar e-mails to people I don’t know on account of social convention. I’ve never met a highly-productive person who doesn’t think similarly. This is true across cultures. It’s also partly a reflection of hierarchy. People who see each other as equals can (note: option, not obligation) dispose with certain niceties. (If I got a subject-only e-mail from a new hire, I might see that negatively.) Shifting to friends, I don’t have many who confuse customs with respect. The two are, in my view, orthogonal.
MDWolinski 6y ago
From that logic, should I put the response in the subject line as well? I don't know if it's rude or not, but seriously, if the entire email fits in the subject line, don't send an email. Send an IM, Slack message, Tweet, whatever, why use email at that point.

JumpCrisscross 6y ago

It could be considered rude to someone you don’t know. It’s fine to someone one works with closely. E-mails that add fluff to fill space, whether in the message or the subject, are frustrating.

cgriswald 6y ago
I’m not sure how you make that determination. For social reasons, the closer people are the more they may tolerate rude behavior they otherwise find unacceptable. For the same social reasons, if you ask them their opinion directly they may lie and say it doesn’t bother them at all. They may also exhibit behaviors they personally find rude, so even that is not a useful indicator.
- JumpCrisscross 6y ago
  > I’m not sure how you make that determination Solely based on my actions and reactions. People who take a simple confirmation and turn it into a multi-line e-mail are, to me, frustrating. People who do that in time-sensitive contexts are memorably infuriating. Then again, I’ll write similar e-mails to people I don’t know on account of social convention. I’ve never met a highly-productive person who doesn’t think similarly. This is true across cultures. It’s also partly a reflection of hierarchy. People who see each other as equals can (note: option, not obligation) dispose with certain niceties. (If I got a subject-only e-mail from a new hire, I might see that negatively.) Shifting to friends, I don’t have many who confuse customs with respect. The two are, in my view, orthogonal.

MDWolinski 6y ago

From that logic, should I put the response in the subject line as well? I don't know if it's rude or not, but seriously, if the entire email fits in the subject line, don't send an email. Send an IM, Slack message, Tweet, whatever, why use email at that point.