Computer messages from well-meaning folks

This morning when I logged onto my computer to check my new mail I had to sigh just a little.

My very dear friend who moved far away finds it necessary to forward any joke or cute pictures she gets from other people.

That's not so bad, but it's the stuff that says I must forward it or I'll be struck by lightning or considered unfriendly, unholy, un-whatever, you can fill it in. It makes me feel guilty deleting the ones that say to forward it back to the sender and six other people to show them how much they are loved. I DO love them I just don't want to forward this stuff that has ten- thousand other names from e-mails with it.

Any comments?

Sure, I'll commment. They drive me nuts!!

I'd rather have two lines from a friend that say, 'Hi, it's raining. I miss you.' Than all the cyber ya ya in the world.

Delete, delete, delete.

{I guess that's why I'm perennially poor; I never forward those things so the million bucks doesn't know where to land. }

Ladybug, I'm glad you brought this up...I was going to ask the same question a few days ago and then forgot. I passionately dislike these "cyber chain letters", especially the ones that tell you to forward it to 10 other people and return to the sender or else...

What's worse is that when I mention to these people that I LOVE to hear from them, but not via these chain letters, they get "huffy" and offended and leave. I've tried to word it kindly, gently, nicely and from the "me" perspective so as not to accuse or make them feel defensive, but it's no use. I've lost two "friendships" over these things.

I know it's simple to delete, but when the chain letter tells me that if I delete it, it proves that I don't love the person who sent it, well, doesn't that make me feel wonderful!

I give up and just delete them now. But if anyone sends them to me, I will continue to ask them not to send this junk, but to please write me and tell me how they really are.

I don't respond to them either - I hate the thought of a friend feeling "unloved" becuz I didn't return the email to them....my angle is...
"oh, gee, all that stuff automatically goes into my junk mail and I don't see it".

I know this isn't the "direct" way to deal with things - but no hurt feelings this way. I just delete, delete, delete.

d.

Yep, me too. Don't even mention it to people just delete it.

With all the people they are sending these things to I really don't think they are going to notice that I didn't respond.

Gee, is that why I haven't gotten my million bucks yet either?

Gee, is that why I hsaven't won the lottery yet?

I delete those too. I didn't do chain letters with snail mail. I don't do email ones either, and I gently disuade anyone from sending them to me. I don't think I've ever lost a friend because of it. At least, not that I know about.

I never forward any of those. On the philosophical side, I believe that much of my fate is in my own hands and not in my willingness to forward an email!

I make one exception: I get a lot of the sappy cutesy stuff from my 12-year-old niece. I hit REPLY and write a short message to her.

Meredith has a soft spot for her niece and I love it. Is she making jewelry yet?

I'm with Meredith on this one. I don't believe inany of that crap! God is in control, not the little buggers running around behind the screen keeping track of who does what!

The only thing I ever forward anymore are cute pictures and/or sayings with animals or old ladies like me, but never answer or send or respond to any chain letter. Heck if i didn't have bad luck, I wouldn't have any luck at all.

I, too, hate all those forwarded emails. i have a cousin who must sit for hours finding and forwarding the junk. what bothers me is my email address going to so many others. i asked her once to use the BCC on her email and she did for a while but is back to the regular way. i will block her address soon if she doesn't stop.

My son tells me depending on how good your virus protection system is on your computer, this is an easy way to acquire one (a virus.)

I ignore all forwards. I don't care who sends them. No one has said anything to me about it so I will continue to "DELETE" from my system. I get them from family too. I just delete, delete, delete. Can't catch anything that way.
Chain letters were considered the devil's work when I was a child. Never read and destroy immediately was the Catholic thing to do back then, according to Mom.
chick

[ November 27, 2005, 08:36 PM: Message edited by: chickadee ]

Delete, delete, delete!! I don't forward anything and I hate getting that stuff forwarded to me. What ladybug's son told her is correct.......it IS a good way to get a computer virus. I really hate the ones that have a million and one email addresses on them (if you really like something and want to forward it on, you can remove all that before you send it!) And I won't open attachments unless a friend is sending me a picture or something. I really can't stand the ones where for a change you decide to read the joke or whatever and you have to keep clicking thru several forwarded messages to get to the original.......forget it!!
I get stuff forwarded to me from people I haven't talked to in person in years!! Don't they have anything better to do? Or is it just that they forward this stuff to EVERYONE in their address book?!?
And people do get offended when you ask them to stop. It's wierd. I've lost a friendship or two over it myself, just by asking someone nicely to please not send me that stuff anymore. It's like they take it personally. I mean it's not like they're writing me a personal message or something.......it's usually just forwarded jokes........and it's MY computer and MY email so it should be my option to do what I want with their fowarded garbage (delete delete delete!!!)

I can spend 30 minutes writing a nice, long personal email to someone, and I hear from them maybe once a month and it's nothing but a forward! No mention of my time consuming letter or my digital pics.

I delete them. In fact, if I don't get so much as a hello from someone in my contact list for 2 months or so, I delete their email address. I've done this with my own brothers...

If anyone feels guilty for not responding to one of those "don't delete this or BLANK will happen" emails, they haven't bought a new system because of a virus getting inside... I don't open any attachments unless it is info I've requested. I don't forward the junk mail and have a limited handful of friends that I exchange "jokes" with or pic's. It's so hard for me to believe that people in this day and age really believe that Bill Gates is going to give them all 250.00 dollars if they sign up on this email list. Hello?

Also, the hoaxes... OMG... I must get 20 of those a week. You can always tell when someone is new to the Internet, or if they don't use it a lot. They will send you a hoax that is 5 years old. I just hit delete.

I delete all of the "junk" mail and I do not respond. Eagle is so right. Some people actually get offended, as if they are the author of the joke, chain letter, whatever.

I think my biggest peeve is the one that's a personality profile... and your friend who sent it put that YOU would be the one most likely to respond... good grief... talk about a guilt trip. I finally sent my friend a note and said if you EVER send me one of these again I will take you out and shoot you, hang you, and then hurt you. I hate those things. I'm with the others, delete, delete, delete!

JJ

I have a good friend who emails me great jokes and I forwarded them to my aunt. So now, my aunt and friend are emailing each other. I think it's cute but they both were sending me the same emails. I had to threaten them with my vicous dog, which I attached a picture of. We have insulting emails flying back and forth and it's so much fun since I love both of them.

How about this for a chain letter...put your name on the list with your bra size. Then, you receive pretty bras from different women. Just a thought.

You're kidding, right????

Yes, I'm kidding. Actually, some men that my husband knew started a chain letter like that and sent a golfing shirt from their country club to the person's name at the top of the list. He received some really nice shirts from all over. That's what gave me the idea for a bra chain letter.

I got a chain letter for kitchen towels. According to the starter person, I'll wind up with 36 new towels.

This wasn't interesting to me because I update my kitchen towels more than twice a year and I'm very picky about the colors. They have to be red and white or just white to match my kitchen.

The worst part in my book was having to send this chain letter to six other people. Most of my friends are hard working moms with outside jobs who haven't got the time to round up six other women to do the same. You also have to consider they've got to go out, buy the towel then take it to the post office to insure they have the proper postage on it.

It looked like a hassle to me and I politely called the person who started it (per her instructions) to tell her I wouldn't be participating.

I think we need to put an end to this type of chain letter but that's just my opinion. I don't like them.

I'm thinking that if I sent a bra chain letter to JJ, she'd probably send me one of her used bras.

No way hun... I couldn't afford the postage...talk about HEAVY!

JJ

They are called by some men:

Over The Shoulder - Boulder Holders

You gals...if I get in a pinch, JJ, you could send them COD.

I just wish I had the boulders to put in the holders!

We could start one of those old send-a-dollar chain letters, you remember them, the ones that went snail mail where you put "my" name at the top and then send it to 5000 or your friends asking them to send a dollar to the top name on the list, which would be mine.
With the amount of women registered here, I'll be raking in the dough in no time!!!!!!