I’m going to use a real example (from a real conversation, with quotes sourced from a few different actual emails) from a year ago to explain how one could contact me and actually get me to respond.

How are you going with the Student Life thing?

Start with a question, one that summarises your point and assumes that I will communicate and respond via email. I live far away from you, I’m not wasting $20 and a whole day just to come and reiterate points I have previously made over the internets.

I know that we have had issues in the past but if you want to talk about it give me a yell (well not literally :)).

Acknowledge the previous issues that exist, how you have failed to communicate regularly – because you have failed in that area.

Anyway let me know what plans you have for the future …. We hire people to contract them out to IBM and a couple of other computer places (you know how I feel about computers!).

Explain some kind of practical help you could give me at the current time, as opposed to just saying “wanna chat”

I am praying for you Dan, and I meant what I said on the forums about the way that you have shown God in people’s lives, God has done stuff in and through your life on campus and He isn’t going to stop because you move to another location.

Actually compliment me…. this doesn’t happen to often.

It if makes you feel any better about the IT thing I also HATE IT with a passion …. heck I have a lot of things to interrogate the creator of the universe about that I don’t understand.

Sympathise with my situation as much as you are able. Validate my concerns and issues.

Don’t do anything dumb dude.

Assume the worst. Assume that I am sitting in my room with a knife in one hand staring at my wrist. Assume that unless urgent action is taken things will be very bad.

YSIC [name_deleted]

Be someone who I have trusted in the past to share things with. I know that severely limits the people who I will respond to…. and cuts out pretty much everyone who has attempted to contact me in the last week, but that is your problem. Maybe you might want to inform those people of my current situation…. In fact, it has been a long time since I have heard from almost all of those who I would open up to. With the one I’ve quoted it has now been a year since we communicated, maybe they would like to make an attempt (drchaotica@optusnet.com.au).