Unless absolutely necessary, I absolutely detest, despise and loathe attachments when I’m trying to get things done quickly (which is all the time).
You see, I’m the absolute opposite of a geek. I’m a techno dummy. I really do appreciate my new high-powered HP computer, because I can rapidly write down my thoughts (90 wpm, I think).
But that’s where our love affair ends. I don’t know how to use my computer as well as I should, especially when it comes to new programs (especially the updated ones on my spanking new computer).
Anyhow, my repugnance for these annoying, tough-to-download, computer-crashing attachments just seemed to have the opposite effect — more of them arrive.
Take, for instance, the responses to my recent ad for a sharp, savvy, sweet research assistant. Now, I specifically posted my ad on a website designed to draw graduates of the master’s degree program at the Columbia University School of Journalism. Just my kind of worker.
So you’d think these cracker-jack writers/researchers would follow instructions, right? Not so fast.
My ad clearly spelled out: No attachments, please. So what did I get? You guessed it!
In fact, after one candidate sent me her resume as an attachment,
politely e-mailed her to ask her to re-send her resume without an
attachment. Much to my amazement, yet again an attachment arrived in my
in box! What part about "Please don’t send attachments" didn’t she understand?
Then there’s this wonderful group with which I’m involved. (No name
citing here. Gotta protect them, because they’re really great.) But I’ve
beseeched the head of the group to forego attachments in the weekly
mailings, explaining that they’re a real hassle to download and that they stall my computer, etc. She gave
me this puzzled, "you’re-silly-Connie" look, and the attachments still
keep coming.
I’m NOT alone in my antipathy towards
attachments. TV producers, editors from major publications and fellow
freelance journalists despise them as well. They even pleaded with 100
of us authors to please never ever send them, no matter what!
That’s right, at this recent National Publicity Summit
— an amazing event where authors get 2 to 3 minutes to interest TV
producers, editors, freelance journalists and radio hosts in their
subject matter — a bunch of them emphatically exhorted us, "Do not send attachments!"
Why
do I reserve such venom for attachments? You see, I received hundreds
of e-mails a day. First off, I often run out of space in my AOL account
(which only holds 1,000 e-mails), plus my Outlook account now has
several thousand e-mails sitting in it.
So, if someone sends me an Adobe or Microsoft Word attachment, all host of hassles happen such as:
- The
attachment just won’t download, as has happened a
bunch to me lately. (Mind you, my snazzy new computer isn’t helping much.) - The attachment t downloads laboriously slowly.
- The download makes my computer freeze, forcing me to shut it down. (Now, that’s annoying, especially when I have a deadline.)
- If it actually downloads, I just can’t open the attachment no matter what I try.
- Then, as a last resort, I have to e-mail the attachment to myself at my Outlook address and see if it will open over there.
That’s not all. If I can open the attachment, I then have to figure out where to put itI have to decide:
- "Do I already have an appropriate folder where I can place it?"
- If not, then "What do I call this new folder?"
- "Should I put it on the desktop?"
- And then, there’s always the inevitable: "Where the heck is this attachment when I most need it?"
Well, you get the idea. Enough of griping about attachments. Craig, (he’s my computer guy) please come quickly to help me resolve my attachments hassles!
Please don’t hold my rant against me. I still maintain a positive
attitude about life, etc. but those darn attachments just rile me up!
P.S. I’m so excited: The acclaimed company, Speaker Fulfillment Services, which is producing and shipping the new, two-CD-set for Dr. Jill Baron’s and my "Don’t Mess With Stress To Kick Sugar™" program, just faxed me over a credit application instead of sending it as an attachment.
P.P.S. One more confession: My annoyance with attachments, especially Adobe documents, might have more to do with my computer ineptitude than anything. I don’t know how to copy them, edit them and always seem to have trouble finding them once they’re downloaded.
And one final P.P.P.S. I hope you know that I’m laughing at myself here! If you have any tips for me, feel free to send them.