Email hole

[hollandmin]

Hi all,

I'm just curious if there is a hole or chasm in which emails fall into when they are sent to GRP/WNG/REGION personnel. I would think, by this time,  they should have an adequate proper understanding of business etiquette and an expectation of responding to emails in a reasonable amount of time.  Because this is not the case, I assume there is some regulation that prohibits them from answering emails they deem "not worth my time." Can anyone point me to this REg/FORM/PAMPHLET? Or is it just a pure lack of professionalism and respect?
thanks
(sight tongue and cheek)

[etodd]

Some folks let their CAP email pile up in a separate mailbox, and check it once a week or so. Have it on their calendar that a certain time in the week is for CAP communications. So if they have to inquire of another about your request, then they don't get the reply until the same time the next week. And could then be yet another week before they email you back.

Seriously ... this does happen.

[baronet68]

Yes, that would be CAPP 666-31415926535 which states, "... email is just a passing fad that will never really catch on.  The only (real) correspondence that requires a response are those documents prepared on a typewriter, which are accompanied by carbon paper triplicates, and that are mailed First Class Return Receipt Requested."


In all seriousness though, there's a saying something to the effect of, "Two hours per week is a hell of a way to run an Air Force," and I think there are many in CAP who quite literally only do "CAP work" one night a week. 

Personally, I serve in a few different roles within the organization and typically spend about 1 hour per day on CAP related emails and, even then, it can sometimes take me a while to get back to someone.  In addition to being distracted by my regular (paying) job, I might not know the answer that someone's seeking so I have to do some research.  Sometimes it's a matter of me not realizing that the person actually wants/needs a response... that happens when someone writes a literary masterpiece where the "ask" is buried deep in their wandering prose.  Sometimes people will send me rage-filled emails about some thing/process/policy that THEY have misunderstood/misinterpreted, or about something over which I have no control, and it's those kinds of messages that are most likely to end up in my "never answered" folder.

[Shuman 14]

Related question, how does one get an official CAP email? Is it level of importance and assignment?

[wacapgh]

Ask your Wing IT staff.

[Shuman 14]

Ask your Wing IT staff.

I'll be sure to email them. 

[NIN]

OTOH, and I don't mean to make excuses for people not replying, but....

I get a lot of email. eServices alerts, all kinds of state level stuff, etc.  Most wing staff officers do.

Sometimes, especially depending on what time of day it comes in, things disappear in to the gaping maw of my inbox never to be seen again until one day a week later I'm be-bopping in there looking for something and I see an email and I say "Holy cow, where did _that_ come from?"

Now, if its something thats specific for the staff ("Hey, where's my promotion?" or "Can you approve my Red Service Ribbon?")  when I see it  I forward over to the appropriate staff officer with a "Hey, can you look in to this?" or "This member is looking for an answer, can you help her or her commander out?"  I'd like to say I catch 100% of those. The truth is, I'm probably closer to 85 or 95%.

Some of this is also incumbent upon the member: its important to actually reach out to the appopriate staff officer for your issue/question, not just go VFR direct to the top to get that sweet, sweet instant satisifaction.  (yay, Millenials!) 

(BTW, I am not saying that is the case here. But I have seen it.  Unit member thinks they're ready for promotion, doesn't ever talk to their unit DP, unit commander, Wing DP or even maybe someone in the PD channel. They just email me "Why haven't I been promoted to 2nd Lt?" "Uh, because you haven't completed Level 2 Part 1 yet?  What has your unit commander said about this?")

Now, could I do a better job of "inbox hygiene?" Oh, hell yes.  There should be a class on "How to effectively manage the morass of emails you're about to get when you become a staff officer or commander."   There has GOT to be a better way. I've started to use labels and such in my email but again: not perfect, and I still get a boatload of emails that I have to categorize, flag, etc.  And NVM if it comes in on my phone and I don't star it, flag it, categorize it, mark it as unread, etc so I see it later.

[etodd]

There should be a class on "How to effectively manage the morass of emails you're about to get .....

Wing commander sends out an email to everyone involved. You can clearly see its been CCed to all wing pilots as well, for example. Done deal right? Nope, now the wing dou forwards to all wing pilots the same email. Think thats enough? Nope, the group commander then wants in on the action and so forwards said email to all the pilots, again. Think thats enough? Nope, now the squadron commander forwards to all squadron pilots the same email.

Multiply all that by quite a few emails each month.

PLEASE folks .... pay attention to who ALREADY has been sent the email. You don't have to put your name on it.

[SarDragon]

There has GOT to be a better way.

The wing uses Office 365, as do I locally. Outlook has a feature called Rules, which allows detailed sorting, according to any number of attributes, into assigned folders. I have a couple of dozen different rules that help me not miss important items.

[NIN]

The wing uses Office 365, as do I locally. Outlook has a feature called Rules, which allows detailed sorting, according to any number of attributes, into assigned folders. I have a couple of dozen different rules that help me not miss important items.

Google does that too, but its a tagging process (you can also move things out of your inbox, etc) with filters. Its not a "folder" per se, but it might as well be.

I email hygiene is a thing, though.