# Weird, irritating e-mail mistake **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [January 8, 2016, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-irritating-e-mail-mistake/742516 "2016-01-08T19:16:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![WF\_Tomba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/d9b06d/32.png) [@WF\_Tomba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WF_Tomba)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2016, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-irritating-e-mail-mistake/742516/1 "2016-01-08T19:16:15Z")
Last night, one of my friends sent out a group e-mail saying that another friend’s husband was gravely ill and in the hospital. Just now, I replied saying “I’m sorry to hear it” and offering my thoughts etc. At about the same moment, the original sender sent a reply to her own message, saying that he’s doing a little bit better today. Now I am worried that my reply will appear right after hers in people’s mailboxes, and it will look like I was saying that I was sorry to hear that he is better! Part of me wants to send a follow-up message explaining myself, but maybe that would just make things even more awkward. ---
**Author:** ![Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de053/32.png) [@Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackknifed_Juggernaut)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2016, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-irritating-e-mail-mistake/742516/2 "2016-01-08T19:19:06Z")
“My reply was to the first e-mail. I’m happy to hear that he’s doing better” ---
**Author:** ![WF\_Tomba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/d9b06d/32.png) [@WF\_Tomba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WF_Tomba)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2016, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-irritating-e-mail-mistake/742516/3 "2016-01-08T19:24:03Z")
Yeah, I did go ahead and send something very similar to that. Maybe my awkward moment will provide some welcome levity. ---
**Author:** ![2gigch1](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/2gigch1/32/3313_2.png) [@2gigch1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/2gigch1)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2016, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-irritating-e-mail-mistake/742516/4 "2016-01-08T22:42:35Z")
The next follow up is “See what I did? Damn I’m good!” ---
**Author:** ![Cazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cazzle/32/75_2.png) [@Cazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cazzle)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2016, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-irritating-e-mail-mistake/742516/5 "2016-01-08T23:13:25Z")
1. Don’t use Reply All. That’s obnoxious. 2. The message you replied to would usually be quoted, and everyone would be able to see that you were responding to the original message, not the update. I’m not even part of this group email and I already feel irritated at the reply all responses. ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tim_r.mortiss/32/142_2.png) [@Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_R.Mortiss)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2016, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-irritating-e-mail-mistake/742516/6 "2016-01-08T23:15:31Z")
I wouldn’t have worried about it. Unless you have a reputation as being a malicious psychopath, I suspect people will know what you meant. ---
**Author:** ![WF\_Tomba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/d9b06d/32.png) [@WF\_Tomba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WF_Tomba)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2016, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-irritating-e-mail-mistake/742516/7 "2016-01-09T01:58:12Z")
> [@Eliahna](#): > > I’m not even part of this group email and I already feel irritated at the reply all responses. It’s about ten people and we perform together as a singing group. We all know each other and normally communicate this way. The reply-all isn’t going to bother anyone. ---
**Author:** ![HMS\_Irruncible](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hms_irruncible/32/7394_2.png) [@HMS\_Irruncible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HMS_Irruncible)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2016, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-irritating-e-mail-mistake/742516/8 "2016-01-09T02:30:55Z")
Forget it. The world will suddenly begin to make sense when you realize that everybody sends emails but nobody actually reads them.