I'm Batman

[akirlu]

I sometimes have to send broadcast e-mails at work, to let people know about security concerns, or facilities issues, or departmental protocol, or whatnot. It has long been my practice to try to make these bread-and-butter notes interesting, and funny in a snarky sort of way, to encourage people to actually read them. Also to vent a little spleen when there's a failure of collegiality or RTFM. I once sent out a note explaining how to tell the difference between a hardcover and a paperback book, since people kept discarding paperbacks in the Hardcover-Only Recycling toter, and I had grown tired of dumpster diving to fish them out. (Yes, we were recycling books. It was a dark time.) The approach seems to work pretty well -- I occasionally get notes or comments back, some even claiming to look forward to my little pearls. They tell me that I'm funny. The lurkers support me in e-mail.

Today I ran into one of the graduate students on the street. He stopped me to introduce to a friend whom he forwards my notes to -- her face lit up: "Oh, you're The E-Mailer?!" "Yep, I reckon so." Andre also explained that he's keeping a file of my e-mails that he occasionally reads through to cheer himself up. Which I guess I am a force for good, in my small way. That was kinda the idea.

So there you have it folks. I have achieved a secret identity. I'm The E-Mailer. And the lurkers support me not just in e-mail but on the mean streets of the city. I'm Batman.

Comments

[oreouk.livejournal.com]

Grin

That's awesome!

I run a corporate library and sometimes we run into problems with publishers and their willingness to work through our subscriptions agency and very very rarely I have to take a hand to get them to bend to my will (I've been in role for 26 years and I have a strong sense of what is reasonable and unreasonable behaviour from publishers).

In December we had a... lengthy discussion with one such publisher where they were refusing to talk to my agency and were quite rude about it.

I sent them some nice, lengthy, pointed emails, and then because I believe in sharing the joy I forwarded copies to my main contact at the agency, since she had borne the brunt of their rudeness. Apparently she circulated these to other staff who had dealt with this publisher and they all agreed I was Client of the Day (if not week or month).

[akirlu.livejournal.com]

It's nice when you can have an impact like that, for sure. And be appreciated. :)

[maribou]

This is so wonderful. Thanks for sharing it with the rest of us.