Lately, because I'm in charge of different stuff for different organizations, I've had to email a lot of people I don't know particularly well. I'm amazed at the number of women who use an email address with their husband's name on it, and not their own. For example say I'm writing to Daisy Popplebottom; her email addy won't be daisyp@___, or the gender-neutral dpopplebottom@____, or a family thing like CapeCodPopplebottoms@____, or even Daisy&Thirsty@____, or something completely unrelated to her name, say, naughtyzoot@___ (not that I have ever used "naughtyzoot" as a username for anything. Never you mind.) No, Daisy's email address is ThurstonQPopplebottom@_____. When she replies to my email, I have no idea who the hell this is or why he'd be writing to me, but I have to open it in case it's one of these women with their husband's email addresses.
Gah! Why would you do this? There's just no good reason not to have your own email address. Even if it's a "family" one, why attach only one person's name to it?
My own inclination to independence and not being thought of as adjunct to anyone else, particularly in business I'm conducting my own self, leads me to think of these women as somehow pathetic. But I'm obnoxious like that. Does it bother you the same way, or at all?
Chances are, the family has one computer and they don't know how to set up multiple e-mail addresses. As to why it's the husband's name: because he set the thing up without thinking how it would be used.
ReplyDeleteI did think that is pathetic, and when I get mail to my house addressed to Mrs. Peter F*, I am inclined to spend the next hour cursing, and rip up the letter and burn in while saying incantations of witchcraft ... however, then I remember that I am one of those women who changed her last name upon marriage, and I realize ... well, I used to think that was pathetic as well ....
ReplyDeleteYeah, maybe I'm busting my own irony meter here... I too changed my last name (twice!), and as for being adjunct, well, here I sit at my home desk while (so that?) Dr. Sandyshoes can be out doing his groundbreaking oceanographic research. Ho hum.
ReplyDeleteBut still... willingly to identify oneself not just as Mrs. Rupert Finkleheimer, but as Rupert Finkleheimer? I dunno.
My laptop's Outlook reads six different email boxes. If you're technically challenged, just open a Yahoo or Gmail account and read it online.
ReplyDeleteSandyShoes, you're lucky that your fellow organization members have email. I'm on one board that still sends everything via snail mail. Unbelievable.
That's a good point, Randy.
ReplyDeleteSnail mail -- really? Wow. I hope you're on more than one board, because the one I'm aware of should definitely be in the 21st century by now, or at least hand delivering things to save time :).