3-6-14 Making good use of emails: The Mayor of Langley wants to send special alerts to his community

I believe that emails create more misinformation and confusion than just about any form of communication short of texting.  If you’ve read my blogs, one of my major themes is that human communication is largely non-verbal. 

Think about how much you learn when you’re in another person’s presence and no words are spoken.  How much do you notice body language, facial expressions, and, of course, simply feeling the energy of that other person?  Even when there are words, tone of voice can provide more meaning than the words themselves.

So, I’m always suggesting that emails are not the right place to attempt to communicate any issue that includes a strong emotion.  Anger, joy, confusion, even putting your tongue in your cheek can be misread and misinterpreted, even by someone you think knows you well.

However, I believe one of the most effective and appropriate uses of email is simply getting concise, factual information out to a specific group of people.  Mayor Fred McCarthy of Langley wants to do just that. 

The Mayor wants to let citizens know when something important is going on in the community.  As a small city, spending money and peoplepower to copy, stuff and stamp a letter is money that can be used more productively elsewhere.  

Here is the information Mayor McCarthy is circulating:

 Are you open to receiving emails from Mayor Fred McCarthy?

Mayor McCarthy is compiling the email addresses of Langley residents so that he can send notifications when citizens need to hear about a significant event, emergency situation, or timely information about something that will be happening in the City. The mayor will not be contacting you often in this manner to be respectful of your privacy.

Sending out written mail to residents is very costly and time-consuming.

If you agree to be on the Mayor’s private email list, please send your email confirmation to:

mayor@langleywa.org

Your email will not be shared with others or used for any purpose other than what is described here.  If you have any questions, please call the Mayor’s office at 221-4246.