pet peeve #3

I have to post this, because it bugs me. Recently, a couple of people (strangers) have written to me asking for information about something--one was seeking information about a residency I'd been on but about which there is little published info; the other was seeking info on publishing. Now, I don't respond to every E-mail in a timely manner, but I responded to both of these women, the latter in a particularly timely fashion (within 1 or 2 days) with lengthy responses to their queries. Have I gotten so much as a "thank you" from either woman? NO! Were my responses lost in the ether? Spam-filtered out? A waste of their time to read? You know, when someone takes the time to answer a query you've made to them, a simple "thanks" goes a long way. I'm not asking for special kudos, just basic human courtesy so that I feel encouraged to answer the next person who asks for information I might happen to have. This is a small world, especially when what you're asking is related to something I do. I'm sure I'm not alone in this. Maybe that's why there are some scholars out there who are very selfish with information--maybe they're actually nice people who got sick of being taken advantage of. Maybe.

So whoever you are, DON'T DO THIS!!!!! It's not polite. And lord, we need more polite. Don't get me started on BART.