What Is Wrong With Regular Old Email?

I registered Booted Harleydude on several websites years ago. Some of them (Recon, for example) have internal message systems. That is, you can send another member of the site a message. Then it requires the person to log on to the site to read it.

Unfortunately, most of these sites do not notify the recipient that a message is waiting. The only exception is Blogger (host of this blog) and YouTube. Both of those systems are owned by Google, and both send a message via direct email to let me know that a comment is ready to be reviewed and approved, or a message is waiting.

I say very clearly on my Recon and other profiles that I do not check their sites every day. In fact, I probably only check them once a month. The reason why I registered BHD on those sites is to preserve my screen name. So contrary to what Recon says "the world's largest hook-up site for men into fetish gear" -- I did not join that site to "hook up" with anyone, but to share and see others in gear that I enjoy wearing and using on a regular basis (and to keep nefarious scoundrels from committing cyber-identity theft.)

Well, anyway, lately I have received some messages, such as:

• Send me a text and let's skype

• Let's chat. What's your IM name?

• Meet me in the chat room.

• I have some questions about [brand] of boots

Here are some answers for 'ya....

1. I don't text and I don't Skype. Sorry, but I'm not into texting and have even blocked that feature from my cell phone so I don't have to pay for data that I do not use. Skype is interesting, but again, I do not use it and don't see why I should. I communicate with my twin brother in France via this funny old thing called a "hard-wired telephone." I know what he looks like. I don't need video to add to it.

2. Gosh, I am really old-fashioned, as I do not use instant messaging at all, nor do I have time to visit chat rooms. I tried I.M., and was annoyed with it popping up during my work day. I did not want that distraction while I was working. I do not use the computer much when I am off the clock (except, perhaps, to post on this blog! LOL!) and when I am composing a blog message, I do not want to be distracted by I.M. Contrary to what some may think, I have a life and a lot of my life does not involve using a computer or surfing the net or exchanging messages with other people. I know that sounds harsh, but I'm an old fart so forgive me. (This is another way of saying that I took I.M. off my computer and do not use it.)

3. Chat rooms? They are ubiquitous now. There's "boot chat" on hotboots.com and many others on all these various forums. Chatting on-line requires time -- that I simply don't have. Or don't want to spend on it. My partner asked once, "don't you want to talk with me?" He's right -- he is my main "chatterer" and focus of my attention. If I spent time chatting on-line and not with him, it gives a mixed message that I don't want to give. Plus, honestly, I really do not have the time.

4. If you have questions for me about boots or leather, why put such questions into a tiny little text box in an on-line program's communication box? Wouldn't it be easier if you sent me an email and we could exchange messages? Honestly, I don't get it....

This all boils down to my asking again, "what's wrong with regular old email?" Am I just so old-fashioned that I am communicating with the proverbial tin can and a string?

Just wondering....

Addendum: someone sent me an email recently and I replied. I received a response two days later advising me that my email went into his spam folder. I suggest that if you send me a message via my website or this blog, to make sure that you 'whitelist' the domain bootedman.com so email from me will reach you without being screened as possible spam. I do not know why that happens, and it seems to happen inconsistently with various email systems -- Comcast email being the worst.

Life is short: communicate via methods that work for the person with whom you are communicating.