Thursday, November 8, 2007

2 things we can do without considering it's 2007

Item 1: "Tell so-and-so I say hi."

You know what I'm talking about. You're talking to someone. That person says "tell so-and-so I say hi" where so-and-so is some person that you both know. Let me immediately say that I understand that the sentiment behind "tell so-and-so I say hi" is kind at its core. The person is trying to reach out to so-and-so. And that's nice.

With that said, here are my problems with "tell so-and-so I say hi."
  1. It's really not that nice if you think about it. If this person really wanted to reach out to so-and-so, this person would contact so-and-so personally. Instead, this person is basically pawning off a chore on you because they probably really don't care to talk to so-and-so.
  2. It's 2007! It's not like you're passing a "hi" to so-and-so through The Pony Express because there is physically no way for you to get in touch with so-and-so. It's 2007! MySpace. Facebook. Instant Messaging. Texting. Email. Cell phones. The f'ing postal service. These are all options.
All I'm trying to say here is ... if you really want to say "hi", go ahead and say "hi" yourself. I'm sure you've got the means.

Item 2: Hanging up after the beep

You ever check your voicemail and all you get is 1 second of dead air and then a click? This basically means that someone called you, listened to your outgoing message, heard the beep AND THEN chose to hang up. Here are my messages to those who still hang up immediately after the beep:
  1. It's 2007! Everyone has caller ID. I know that you called before the voicemail even picked up. If you're just going to hang up after the beep, then go ahead and spare me the process of listening to the click and then deleting the empty message.
  2. It's 2007! It's voicemail. It's digital. There is not a cassette recorder sitting on a counter in my kitchen recording your message. Your click is being recorded by a computer in a warehouse somewhere. Even if I wanted to, I am not able to screen your call and listen as you leave your message and then maybe pick up. My chances of answering your call went out the window the moment the voicemail kicked in.
  3. It's 2007! Do you possibly not know how voicemail works? Did the beep take you by surprise and then you panicked and frantically hung up?
Keep these things in mind the next time you call someone and feel free to either 1) hang up before the beep or 2) leave a message and say hey.

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