E-Mail Crisis! What to Do When...by Mary Ann Romans | More from this Blogger 11 Sep 2007 04:19 PM We have all been there. The time that you inadvertently sent an e-mail that you shouldn't have sent. Misdirected e-mail is even a common subject matter for sitcoms and movies. But sometimes the consequences aren't so funny. For instance, what if you sent out an e-mail to your boss that was full of typos or incorrect information? Or instead of forwarding a message asking advice about a demanding friend, you hit the reply button and sent your thoughts or discouraging remarks right back to the person you were complaining about? Maybe you sent someone an attachment that had personal information, such as your bank balance or a password. Don't worry, there is help in all of these situations, although some fates are worse than others. The best way to deal with a wayward e-mail is to just be honest and apologize. You may be embarrassed, but nothing is worse than ignoring the issue. For serious mistakes, your best best is to do the apology in person. Most people are understanding of honest errors. In the boss example, you might send a second e-mail with the words, "Correct Version" in the subject line, and a message saying something such as, "I apologize for inadvertently sending a draft copy to you. I want to present the best possible information because I value this project. Please find the corrected version below." For the demanding friend, call or visit in person if possible. Depending on what you said in the e-mail, explain that you value the friendship and were seeking advice to strengthen it. Apologize profusely and consider throwing in a card or small gift. If you accidently send out personal information at work, immediately go over to the other person's desk and say, "I just accidently sent you some embarrassing information, would you please delete it?" Make sure that you watch the person delete the attachment and empty the trash. If you don't feel that you could trust the person, consider a white lie instead, telling them that you think the attachment has a virus and should be deleted immediately. Mary Ann Romans writes about everything related to saving money in the Frugal Blog, technology in the Computing Blog, and creating a home in the Home Blog. You can read more of her articles by clicking here. Related Articles Learn more about Mary Ann Romans  Mary Ann Romans is a freelance writer, wife and mother of three children. She lives in Pennsylvania with her husband, the kids and a 16-pound cat. Relevantcomputers tags User Comments No comments on this article yet. Be the first to comment! Community Tags e-mail, how to, oops Discuss this article
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