Wednesday, September 12, 2007

On (Off)Line

When I login into Yahoo messenger, my friends who are online get a message saying "Timepass is online now". But, not everyone initiates a chat with me. Okay, I understand many people are busy at work while they are shown as online, so they might not have noticed me online. I generally assume this is the case and ping online friends thus initiating contact from my side.

But there is a second category here my friend. Some contacts reply back immediately when I initiate contact..The person must have minimised the chat window or not have been in front of the computer and did not see me online before, so on seeing my message, has replied to me. This is a genuine case happening with everyone. The second type is that the person would have noticed me online but not bothered to ping me, but on seeing my message sends me a hi immediately and before I ask anything else tells me "Long time no see, how are u?? Guess what I was thinking of mailing u today and here u are online...blah blah blah" Half of this is what I wanted to ask this person i.e. how r u, hope doing well etc.

So many times it has happened that I login but hardly get Hi messages first from the opposite side. But the moment I initiated a conversation, the other side is very involved in the chat and behaves so well that I start blinking my eyes to believe is it the same person who did not initiate the conversation. I took all this in my stride knowing very well that I cannot change others, I just need to change my view of things.

The same goes for mails as well. Mails initiated by me are sometimes not replied at all..But I do get the acknowledgement that the receiver has read the mail... Come on when u have the time to read a mail, just click on the reply button and say ok, it hardly takes 10 seconds..My dozens of mails are not replied to, but your one mail if replied late is equal to a big crime committed by me, is it??

One particular incident I remember, I wished someone Happy Birthday through email. I got a reply from the person thanking me and adding that nowadays no one remembers his birthdays, he is happy that atleast I BOTHERED to wish him. Hey, is this the reply I deserve for being among the select few to wish him..He never reciprocated the wishes though. Hardly a few people possess the courtesy and etiquette to wish a person back on his birthday especially if the person has wished for yours. I know, everyone is busy and has no time for replying to mails, but when you have the time to chat for hours on the mobile phone, book movie tickets on the internet and go for team lunches running into hours, you definitely have a minute to reply back to someone who remembers your birthday after all these years.

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

I agree completely...and hey u forgot that the same happens when you call up someone after long time..they blame you for not staying in contact although they themselves are to blame

~nm said...

There with you 100%. I'm one of those walking-talking birthday/anniversary diary and I always wish the other person on the occasions. However, I do feel sad when very few of these people call up to wish me as somewhere in little nook in my heart I expect them to call me!

But I guess I've moulded myself to get used to it. And guess you should too!

FH said...

Same here! I say hello and they say you didn't call me in a long time while I am initiating the calls EVERYTIME!!:P

dame's diary said...

I am guilty, guilty, guilty :(
This post is an eye-opener for me. Thanks

Kowsalya Subramanian said...

i also have experienced the same :( and sometimes makes me feel whether i am being avoided

timepass said...

Let me share how I deal with this issue. I dont stop mailing wishes to such people, I continue doing so. when asked why, I say because thats the difference between me and the other person...

Deeps said...

I agree with your comment above and the whole post in general. I always wish all my friends on their birthdays and anniversaries (don't expect any on mine). I may seem like a saint (I am really not :-D), but thats the only way I want it to be.

But now after a couple of years, I notice that people who don't ever call atleast wish me on my birthday ;-). Well, looks like it works after all, though a lot slowly :)).

Lavs said...

I am with you on this one.....How many times I would have taken efforts to call people up??? to mail them, wish them...but very few respond back...I guess we all [people who take efforts to remember birthdays and anniversaries] should form a gang and forget about others who do not bother abt such "petty" things, what say?