In other words, a response to an email I’ve sent with only the reply “Thanks!”

Now, I know why these emails exist— to acknowledge receipt of my message.  But I trust the Web, and so I’m assuming it was received anyway— and whenever the email bell rings, and I see there’s a message from a client or business contact, I stop what I’m doing to open Mail and check it out, and whenever it’s a Thanks! I can’t help but feel a bit prickly, for having interrupted a creative stream for several seconds to find out something I already assumed.  I know it’s a little petty, but when you’re  juggling lots of tasks, a relatively content-free email like that seems superfluous and unnecessary.

Contrast this with an email I got a couple of days ago:

The effect an email like this has is completely different.  By adding just a few extra words to this quick thank-you message, the author let me know that the sentiment was truly sincere: that the letter I’d sent had a positive impact.  The difference is so minor— between spending three seconds on a response and spending ten seconds— but the resulting email really made my day.

So now I’m resolved to do a better job of writing thank-you messages myself; I’ll commit to spending 10-15 seconds elaborating why an email was particularly helpful, timely or informative. If I can’t make the time for an even marginally thoughtful or heartfelt response, I won’t clutter the mail servers of the world with a content-free return receipt.