Please Identify Yourself! A little rant on email etiquette.

Can we just stop and talk for a moment about unidentified business emails? The larger my blog grows, the more I find the need to run it professionally and businesslike, which includes interacting with a plethora of sponsors and sponsorees (is that a word?).

Last month, for example, I sponsored about a dozen or two giveaways on various blogs, some offering ad space, others credit to my knit shop, still others a free Etsy shop graphic. Apparently all of said giveaways ended today because my in-box was suddenly inundated with messages saying, "Please send so-and-so the information about their prize!"

Which is all well and good... if I could remember which particular blog this giveaway was for... and more importantly, what I had promised to give away for said giveaway. One would think such information would be included in the email sent out to all involved sponsors... but (at least in about 80% of the emails), one would be wrong.

Now while I realize that not all bloggers run their blog like a business, I feel like those taking sponsors should at least TRY to be a little professional when sending out correspondence. Identifying oneself seems like an obvious place to start... "Hi I'm so-and-so from such-and-such blog." Then when I, as a sponsor, am sifting through my who-I-sponsored-this-month file, I can match things up a little more quickly. Also, it kind of helps when emailing contest winners if I can let THEM know which giveaway they've won, since they've most likely entered 50 more since then and have completely forgotten about this one.

Also, is it too much to ask that said emails either link to their original giveaway post or at the very least remind me of what I agreed to donate? Like I said... lots of sponsors... lots of giveaways that I've agreed to donate to... can't remember what I agreed to send where. Maybe I should try to be more organized myself, but really, this seems like such an easy thing that a host blog could do to make my life a little easier. I know when I host a giveaway, it's very all-consuming and exciting to me... but when I contribute on someone else's blog... not so much. To the host, these trivial details (of who and what) seem obvious, but to me... two dozen giveaways later... I could use a reminder of who you are and what I agreed to do for you.

Just saying...

And it's all very possible that I myself am guilty of these same inconsiderately vague emails as well, so for anyone that I have confused in the past, I apologize and sincerely vow to do better from here on out.

And to all of you trying to build your blog and are considering hosting a giveaway with your new-found sponsors... try to remember that your sponsors are busy people and may need reminding of who you are when, a month after they agree to sponsor you, you send them a "Please send so-and-so the information about their prize!" email. Chances are they no longer remember who you are, where you blog, and what they agreed to donate.

And that is all, folks... done with my ranting for the day. ;D