Andrew J. Lederer

due to one too many event invitations. nobody contacted me to say that but the timing made it obvious.

perhaps it speaks to the rightness of their decision that i can't figure out who's gone. still, is promotional e-mail (which is what we're discussing, really, since facebook users are alerted to messages via e-mail) that much of a nuisance in the modern era?

not in my experience.

for instance, i use gmail as the interface for all my accounts, as it has a great spam filter. i have but to scan the spam folder to make sure good mail hasn't been misunderstood (it usually hasn't), then, with the click of a mouse button, i can delete everything in the folder. messages sent via facebook and its ilk are not treated as spam, since i may want to see some of them, but when the subject or sender is uninteresting to me, i simply ignore then -- i never even open them.

so, what's so annoying or intrusive about promotional email?

it says more about the receiver than about the (as we've demonstrated) low-impact messages that he or she is so exercised by this minor nuiscance that squelching it becomes a major -- and genuinely distracting -- priority. these are people who are naturally inclined toward being irritated.

hell, it's not as if i wouldn't like to be above the fray and not have to push my shows or be so eminent that people clamor to be apprised of my offerings.

but that's not where i'm at.

i have to inform as many people as possible of my appearances 'cause i can't risk not reaching someone who might be interested.

so, with that in mind, please consider coming to tonight's "anthology" storytelling programme at the etcetera theatre, above the oxford arms in camden town.

guests will be matt crosby, sajeela kershi, gary colman, elise harris, and luke roberts of the gently progressive behemoth. (ray peacock is sick.)

show's at 9:30. tickets are £7.50.

there. that wasn't that hard, was it? (of course, it wasn't e-mailed.)