When I ER'd six years ago I kept in touch with a few coworkers. One of them, now 65, just retired and is still settling into his new lifestyle.
While he was working I'd get a few e-mails a week on workplace events, jokes, and whatever else piqued his interest. He shotguns a list and doesn't expect replies. Most of his e-mails weren't worth reading any longer than it took to click on the "Delete" button, but every 10th or 20th one I enjoyed seeing his family pictures or reading about growing up in territorial Hawaii.
Then he started e-mailing urban legends, so I pointed him to Snopes.com and suggested that he didn't have to keep me on his group list. He got a bit huffy, said that he was just talking story, and that he'd be happy to hear from me once in a while. I'm still on his list.
Now that he's retired, what used to be "a few a week" has become "several times a day". He's still propagating urban legends but they've escalated to computer scams, terrorist conspiracies, and pictures of ugly rat tumors. I'm also getting old-phart jokes, dozens of YouTube videos, and plenty of political diatribes. Most of his subject lines resemble the topic titles used by a couple members of this board who repetitively post alarmist rants.
I still hit the "Delete" button, although now I hardly even open the e-mails. But I'm tired of the perpetual assault and I feel ambushed whenever I open one of them. The signal/noise ratio has dropped well below 1/100, I've about used up my "just ignore it" patience, and I'm ready to politely ask him to drop me from his group e-mail address list. He's a nice guy who only lives 20 miles away but we haven't bothered to even phone each other in nearly six years, let alone get together. He's just an old co-worker who happened to stay in touch, and that's no longer a good thing. He doesn't appear willing to change, and it seems to be time to move on.
Anyone had to deal with a similar situation? Any other ideas?
While he was working I'd get a few e-mails a week on workplace events, jokes, and whatever else piqued his interest. He shotguns a list and doesn't expect replies. Most of his e-mails weren't worth reading any longer than it took to click on the "Delete" button, but every 10th or 20th one I enjoyed seeing his family pictures or reading about growing up in territorial Hawaii.
Then he started e-mailing urban legends, so I pointed him to Snopes.com and suggested that he didn't have to keep me on his group list. He got a bit huffy, said that he was just talking story, and that he'd be happy to hear from me once in a while. I'm still on his list.
Now that he's retired, what used to be "a few a week" has become "several times a day". He's still propagating urban legends but they've escalated to computer scams, terrorist conspiracies, and pictures of ugly rat tumors. I'm also getting old-phart jokes, dozens of YouTube videos, and plenty of political diatribes. Most of his subject lines resemble the topic titles used by a couple members of this board who repetitively post alarmist rants.
I still hit the "Delete" button, although now I hardly even open the e-mails. But I'm tired of the perpetual assault and I feel ambushed whenever I open one of them. The signal/noise ratio has dropped well below 1/100, I've about used up my "just ignore it" patience, and I'm ready to politely ask him to drop me from his group e-mail address list. He's a nice guy who only lives 20 miles away but we haven't bothered to even phone each other in nearly six years, let alone get together. He's just an old co-worker who happened to stay in touch, and that's no longer a good thing. He doesn't appear willing to change, and it seems to be time to move on.
Anyone had to deal with a similar situation? Any other ideas?