I just cleaned out my OS Personal Message inbox, for the first time since I joined in 2007. I had 38 pages, at about 50 messages per page, which added up to around 1900 messages. I lost several messages with phone numbers and personal notes that I didn't want to delete, but I don't have the time to wade through all the blog-whoring to find them.
Yes, blogwhoring. Otherwise known as blog-flogging, advertising, pleading, broadcasting, or just what it is - spam. I would say that 99.9% of the PMs I've gotten on OS are spam. I don't even go to my inbox anymore, and I ignore any email that says so-and-so has sent me a message. Got that? I don't read them. If you were desperately trying to reach me by PM, it will fail because your fellow OSrs feel that I should drop everything and read their post.
OK, lots of my friends/favorites PM me about their posts too, but since I can't keep up with them all right now, you have to trust me when I say that I love you, but I have to skip some of your wonderful articles when I'm busy. Don't worry, I can find your home page and read up on what I missed when I can find the time. But there's no need to alert me every time you post.
It's now the case that people I don't know - and some that I don't want to know - are blog flogging me too, and I think that's why I'm putting my foot down. I'm already overwhelmed with reading material, and I don't need to add to the list.
So I am making the request formally, politely and inclusively - don't PM me unless you have something personal to communicate to the individual otherwise known as Ardee. All of you, please take me off your broadcast list. I will not read any post that I have been PMd about, I don't care how important it is - UNLESS - I happen upon it in my Favorites list, or on the Activity Feed.
That is all.
Update: OK, maybe not all. I had a bad day yesterday and probably pissed everyone off. I just want you to know that I never used the PMs to find your posts, so it never made any difference that you sent them or not. I will still come and comment on your posts, and hope you will still come here and comment. I don't like being the cranky lady on the block.
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Comments
1900 PMs does sound extreme.
Happy travels.
Seriously, I am ambivalent about PMs. You can if you want, and I'll ignore if I want.
bobbot - if I catch you leaving your bike... ah, never mind.
PW, it isn't bothering me if I don't read them, but that's the problem. I tried to find someone's address in 1900 emails and couldn't!
Scanner, I know where to find you, don't worry
aka - that's probably the FIRST post I ever did that didn't wander all over the place.
late - your messages were some that I didn't want to lose! We did a little talking over PM and you know that I wasn't talking to you, girl!
Treadmill Hacky Sacker? I'd rather not, thank you very much.
I must learn to rant with your calm.
I've never sent one out either - the ones I appreciate most are the ones alerting me to someone new I otherwise might have missed.
But yeah, keeping up with pm's ... there's a lingering onus somehow ...
Is your shop open ?
latethink - ;*
Chuck, there used to be people who did that - what happened to them?
Stacey, we are in the same boat. Calm? Not so much.
Kim - I have several friends that I keep up with on OS through PMs, but the advertising gets annoying. I don't expect everyone to react the same way as I do, but yeah, right now I am crazy busy. No, the shop isn't open yet - move in is Feb 1, and the opening is Feb 6 - so we are doing build-out and painting and signage and getting inventory in, etc, etc. I PROMISE not to send out a broadcast announcing it, though now I see what over-reacting is going to cost me. I am such a doofus.
I'd love a report on the shop after your first week - whether a certain interesting-looking middle-aged man pretending to admire the silk makes an appearance. You know, the guy with the boat and the house in the islands, that one.
*sobbing softly and looking through my OS list*
Grif, it wouldn't be the first time I lost money because I stuck to some stupid principle. But believe me, I would read your PMs.
:0~
Snippy, clearly you are more popular than I am. Why didn't you write this post?
Trig, what post? Did you write a post? :p
Oryoki, it sounds like you have a system, and I'm not saying it's a bad one. I like getting PMs when they are person-to-person. When I can't get to OS for several days, though, I know I'm going to miss a lot but the feed goes on. If I have 20 broadcast messages, I have to check each one to see if it's an actual message. It takes away time from reading the posts.
Robin, you go girl.
Stellaa, I agree - it's like a pyramid scheme, your friends trying to sell you something you can't use. And a lot of people who aren't your friends knocking on your door too.