The Lensmaster Lounge

aj2008 · 11/18/2009 3:06 am

This week on SquidLog I am about to post an article about emails. It is pretty uncontroversial but has a tip that in my view we all need to follow.

However, next week I will again be writing about emails but this one needs careful handling. I want to discuss (without being specific or pointing the finger at anyone) how people feel when they receive emails from other Lensmasters. In particular when using the "Email this lens" feature that Squidoo provides at the top of a lens.

What do you think this feature is for? (I know that my view on this is very different from a lot of people)

Do you ever use it?

When do you think it is OK to use it? (When have you been pleased to get an email from another lensmaster?)

When is it NOT OK to use it?

Please, please, please be careful if you answer these questions on here! I don't want to start a flame war and I certainly dont want anyone to post anything too specific that hints at identities or roles on Squidoo, that will result in your comments being deleted or the thread having to be closed.

You can also contact me in strictest confidence (but please without naming names unless it is something nice ) via my Contact Me button. If you email me please make it clear as to whether or not I can quote you if I would like to.

Past articles that have included anecdotes from other Lensmasters have proved to be very popular on SquidLog and of course anyone who contributes or who is quoted will get lots of "link love"

kab · 11/18/2009 10:45 am

I've never used that tool, and it's never been used on me.

Ener-G · 11/18/2009 3:23 pm

Geez, aj, you've got my ears perked up. What in the word is going on with the email feature? I've used it about 15 times to email friends who are looking for the information that a lens holds. I'd use it more, but I'm too lazy to go hunt down my friend's email addresses.

P.S. No one's ever emailed me with one before.

Last edited by Ener-G (11/18/2009 3:23 pm)

mysticmama · 11/18/2009 5:41 pm

Yeah... I've never gotten an e-mail via that little envelope dealie either

Wouldn't someone have to know your personal e-mail address in the first place to even be able to so that?

I always assumed that button was for our readers to be able to e-mail our lenses to their friends & family....

though I do know that some people encourage lensmasters to e-mail their own lenses to 10 friends as a way to self-promote their lenses...I suppose that tool could be used for that purpose also... though I'm pretty sure that the whole point of that type of lens promotion is to e-mail one's lenses to their non-Squidoo friends...

I can say that it would probably become pretty annoying fast if we all started getting dozens of people e-mailing their own lenses via that tool every day.

I normally enjoy getting e-mail from my fellow lensmasters... and often encourage fellow Squids to contact me via my contact button on my profile, I don't think I would like to receive e-mails via that tool from lensmasters who are just shamelessly self-promoting their own lenses.

I think it's a good tool for those who want to e-mail their newest lens to their siblings, mom or BFF... but to use it to e-mail their own lenses to fellow lensmasters, just seems kind of spammy?...cheesy?

Though... say if you came across an amazing lens that someone else made...that you thought I would love... and you wanted to share it with me...that tool would work really well for that, and then I would probably be really glad you shared it with me...as long as you weren't doing it every day or anything

So...I guess it's a pretty useful feature as long as it is used properly... but just like any other tool..there is the potential for misuse... So educating people on the proper etiquette & use of that tool is a great idea

Pukeko · 11/18/2009 6:22 pm

I haven't gotten one from their either.

Flynn_the_Cat · 11/18/2009 8:04 pm

I've used the 'email this lens' tool once, and basically, yes, it's just an option to send a link to people. It also adds a lot of 'so and so thought you should check out this WONDERFUL site' blurb.

@AJ
Emails are fine, if it's a question I can answer. Sometimes it feels like it wasn't quite necessary - e.g. could have been easily dealt with in a forum thread - and has connotations of being more serious, but I quite enjoying getting nice comments (who doesn't!) and answering people's questions. Sometimes it feels invasive, but that's partly dependent on my mood, and one reason I set up an anon account, so that's less of a problem these days.

And yes you can quote, if you wanted XD

prosperity66 · 11/18/2009 11:36 pm

Hi AJ and everyone

I've got emails coming directly from this little envelope at the top of my lenses but all those mails were from persons who would ask further info on advises I gave here in the forum, comments on posts or giving thanks for comments I did on a lens, congratulate for a lens I made, but never for lens promotion. The only think that would be annoying is that depending on our own time zone or the amount of work I face, I can't answer whenever the person is looking for quick help or answer Otherwise, I'm fine with getting such emails. But, like anyone else, I would be afraid of getting hundreds of emails introducing a new lens.

In summary, I would say, Squidoo-ers are well educated

GroovyFinds · 11/19/2009 6:48 am

I've never gotten on or used it. I thought it would be a little spammy.

If I think any lens will be of interest to my friends I post it on facebook. I limit myself to one post like that a week....again don't want to spam my friends.

spirituality · 11/19/2009 9:38 am

I've never used it - and I don't think it's the link people click when they want to send lensmasters e-mail. After all, for many of us, they can just click the 'contact me' button. That is sometimes abused, unfortunately. I deal with that by deleting the said mail I get a lot of spam anyhow, so this doesn't add anything.

Jewelsofawe · 11/19/2009 7:32 pm

I was taught to use the email button by a lensmaster at one point. I have emailed occasionally to lensmasters but lately only to one person I email with any ways and otherwise I use it to email to people outside of squidoo. I think that it is up to people individually. I guess it we don't want people emailing their lenses to us we have to let them know.

Jewelsofawe · 11/19/2009 7:37 pm

So, I would say I mostly don't email to other lensmasters. At the time I did do it, it was last year when I went for giant squid and I had a greeter telling me to it back and forth with him, so that was mostly the context in which I did it. I think it is ok when you both agree to do that with each other. Otherwise I do think the button is there to email it to family and friends outside of squidoo. In fact I recently loved a lens and emailed it to everyone I knew. It was not my lens. And sometimes I will email my lens to family and friends like the one I did on my daughter, but even them I won't do that to often because they won't care about say my Christmas ornament lens. This is a great topic to discuss for sure.

Ener-G · 11/19/2009 8:27 pm

Ha ha ha! I just realized I have received the email a lens from other lensmasters before...I just didn't recognize it in that form. I do remember thinking, how did that lensmaster do that? I haven't felt spammed by it.

aj2008 · 11/20/2009 7:15 am

Thank you everyone who has contributed so far. There's still time to join in the conversation as knowing me I wont even start putting the article together until Monday morning!

Of course I do have my own views on this but will be sharing them on the article

aj2008 · 11/27/2009 3:51 am

Thanks again to all who contributed. The article is here:

http://squidlog.net/blog/ajs-musings/em … net-part-2

SquidU

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#1 11/18/2009 3:06 am

More research for a SquidLog Article on Etiquette - emails

#2 11/18/2009 10:45 am

Re: More research for a SquidLog Article on Etiquette - emails

#3 11/18/2009 3:23 pm

Re: More research for a SquidLog Article on Etiquette - emails

#4 11/18/2009 5:41 pm

Re: More research for a SquidLog Article on Etiquette - emails

#5 11/18/2009 6:22 pm

Re: More research for a SquidLog Article on Etiquette - emails

#6 11/18/2009 8:04 pm

Re: More research for a SquidLog Article on Etiquette - emails

#7 11/18/2009 11:36 pm

Re: More research for a SquidLog Article on Etiquette - emails

#8 11/19/2009 6:48 am

Re: More research for a SquidLog Article on Etiquette - emails

#9 11/19/2009 9:38 am

Re: More research for a SquidLog Article on Etiquette - emails

#10 11/19/2009 7:32 pm

Re: More research for a SquidLog Article on Etiquette - emails

#11 11/19/2009 7:37 pm

Re: More research for a SquidLog Article on Etiquette - emails

#12 11/19/2009 8:27 pm

Re: More research for a SquidLog Article on Etiquette - emails

#13 11/20/2009 7:15 am

Re: More research for a SquidLog Article on Etiquette - emails

#14 11/27/2009 3:51 am

Re: More research for a SquidLog Article on Etiquette - emails

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