We’ve all been there. It was probably on a Friday, and you were in “get shiz done” mode before the big weekend when suddenly a co-worker or friend sent out a mass email with like, eleventy-billion people on it.
And as it ALWAYS goes, several peeps on that email chain decided to ‘Reply all’ when answering, which means you got eleventy-billion more emails that were utterly useless to you.
Hitting ‘Reply all’ when it’s not necessary to include — or answer — the entire group is an awkward email habit.
So what about when people ‘Reply all’ on Twitter?
Slow Your Roll, Twerp!
I don’t know about you, but I feel this is an awkward Twitter habit, too.
I get especially unnerved when replying all (or tweeting all) on Follow Friday (#FF) saying, “Thanks for the mention!”
I didn’t mention you. They did. Thank them, not me.
Or sometimes you get one of those mass “thank you” tweets and someone decides to ‘Reply all’ (tweet all) and say, “You’re welcome!” [as seen below]
You’re welcome for what?! I shared THEIR piece … I don’t need welcoming. I need you to STOP BLOWING UP MY TWITTER FEED!
Perhaps it’s just me, but isn’t this lazy? Unproductive? Tweeting to … tweet?
I kinda feel like it’s that annoying little kid who keeps poking you for nothing …
We Poo-Poo ‘Reply all’ For A Reason
Besides taking up time in your already jam-packed day, hitting ‘Reply all’ (when unnecessary) lowers productivity, causes irritation, and could have you seen as a Twitt in the Twittersphere.
Some reports even say that hitting ‘Reply all’ at work costs companies millions of dollars!
While social media is absolutely a place to be SOCIAL, you still have to be considerate of the person on the other side of the screen. And that means respecting their time.
So the next time you’re tempted to do a quick ‘Reply all’ – just give thanks — or a response — to the person who deserves it.
If you want to talk to me directly – SUPER – let’s talk! But don’t include me in your back-and-forth banter unless it’s warranted.
What about you? Is this something that annoys you, or am I on an island? Let me know in the comments section below.
See you in the social sphere!
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6 Comments. Leave new
Haha I have often had this annoyance as well! The other thing that I am unsure about is when people put a period in front of an @mention so that everybody in their feed can see this conversation.
Unless it really applies to your following shouldn’t you just let it be between you and the other person. I think people have enough going on in their feed as it is.
Whew – glad it’s not just me! I’m not trying to be a jerk, but it can REALLY be annoying when you keep getting pinged with messages that have nothing to do with you. Same with @mentions (unless it is warranted!).
Yes for chiming in and commenting on my mini rant, Blake! Always a pleasure!
It’s true Brooke, I’ve noticed this. It would be far nicer to give people you want to thank an individual message, rather than a shared one. It does sometimes make me think “Who do you think you are” when I get a group message thanking me for being a top contributor.
I think people erroneously think that this is good for networking, but like you say, it just creates unnecessary messages that are nothing to do with you.
I regularly organise collaborative posts on my blog. I have had over 30 contributors on a single post. I always send individual emails to confirm their post has been included. It takes a touch longer but I think people appreciate this individual treatment.
Right on, Jon! It can be more work to thank peeps individually. It’s becoming more prevalent to see (as shown in the example in the post) to thank people in bulk. This isn’t my style … I think it’s a little impersonal myself, but then it’s better than not giving appreciation at all! Kudos to you for taking the extra time to thank people and reach out individually. I really like that (and that’s how I like to use Twitter, too).
Also, really thankful that you decided to share your POV with us! THANK YOU! 🙂
I have faced this situation but to me it is a good opportunity to get introduced in front of other relevant tweeps. I do exchange a couple of reply to all tweets but once I realize one is getting better at responding to me directly, I turn it in individual tweets.
That is true in some cases I’m sure, Nabeel! However, from my own personal experience it’s never (or very very rarely) about meeting others and more about blasting peeps in the hopes you’ll get your own handle seen. Thanks for weighing in with your thoughts – much appreciated! 🙂