How to Politely Tell Someone to Remove You From an E-mail Distribution List

If your friends and colleagues are bombarding you with jokes, phony virus warnings and pesky advertisements, you may want to politely suggest that they ease up. Here's how to clear your mailbox without making enemies.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Internet Access
• E-mail Accounts
• Computers
• E-mail Software

1. Send your request via e-mail rather than over the phone so the person doesn't feel like you're coming after him or her.

2. Be extra polite so no feelings are hurt.

3. Explain that you prefer to use your e-mail for direct person-to-person messages and get your doses of humor and other announcements through other venues.

4. Tell the person that you'd much rather communicate with him or her directly rather than deal with widely distributed impersonal messages. This, too, will help maintain a favorable relationship.

5. Thank the person and sign (type) your name.

Tips & Warnings

• If you signed up for a large distribution list maintained by a human being rather than a computerized Mailing List Manager, a brief message such as "Please remove my address, [e-mail], from your mailing list. Thank you." will generally suffice.
• Note that these instructions do not apply to computerized e-mail lists.

on 11/22/2005 If you respond to Spam by either acknowledging the e-mail or asking to be remove from their mailing list, you run the risk of letting them know that your e-mail adress is a good one. Ignore the mail!