Dori: Enough with the ‘reply all’

Since the advent of email, there’ve been plenty of gross violations of etiquette. But few get people’s goat like the dreaded “reply all.”

A recent example reared its ugly head this week here at KIRO Radio. An email went out announcing our Brandi Kruse had been selected by Seattle Weekly as the best TV/Radio reporter in town for the second year in a row.

As Dori Monson points out, it’s a well deserved honor worthy of a company-wide email. But when everyone else started “replying all,” it was like fingers on the chalkboard.

“For everybody else on staff here, if you want to then say ‘way to go Brandi, congratulations,’ just send the email to Brandi,” Dori laments.

“I’ve never understood it…We don’t need to see from 10, 15, 20 other people, you saying ‘woohoo,'” Dori says.

Dori’s not the only one bugged by a rampant “reply all.” The Web is chalk full of articles bemoaning the misuse of the mass response, with tips on when it’s appropriate to respond to everyone. But Dori argues letting the whole office know you are joining in on the good cheer isn’t one of those times.

“Everybody decides to do a reply all so everybody in the company can see that I am congratulating Brandi for her award,” Dori complains. “This is just down to email etiquette, but for some reason people want everyone to see ‘I am going to congratulate her too.'”

Is Dori just overreacting, or does he have a legitimate beef?