“I will be unable to delete all the emails you send me until I return from vacation.”
"I am currently Out Of the Office"
Automated Out of Office Replies
The ablility to set up your email to automatically respond and let people know that you are unavailable is a very useful tool. Imagine how annoyed your contacts would be if you emailed every single one of them to tell them that whilst they continued to work hard in the office you would be sipping cocktails by an exquisite infinity pool….
I wonder whether this wonderful little business aid needs to be extended?
Should Social Media Have An Out Of Office Function?
When I got back from a two week break I knew that all of my emails had been acknowledged – my automatic reply had stated exactly when I would be back and what to do if it was an emergency and you needed someone before I returned.
BUT!
I had several messages over on Linkedin, quite a few Tweets and Facebook was going mad trying to get me to log in and acknowledge all of my mentions!
None of us wants to see our Twitter stream full of tweets from someone languishing in the sunshine, and it would be unprofessional to say anything over on Linkedin. You may get away with a few Instagram pics or Facebook posts, but if you’re serious about using social media for business you need to stop adding cocktail and sunset photos.
So is it time that we had a social media equivalent of the Out Of Office? If you send me a message on Linkedin I don’t want you to think I am ignoring you – but neither do I want to clog up all of my followers time lines with me boasting about my vacation.
We know we have to be careful about what we post online – broadcasts on Facebook and Twitter about going away have been linked to burglaries – so would an Out Of Office be a security problem?
I’d like to know what you think – do you think there’s a place for a social media automated Out Of Office?
By Lorelei Gibb, now most definitely back in the office….
