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Original poster

Do you have all your friends' email addresses?

20 replies

TheNorthWind · 04/03/2021 13:12

Among the responses to somebody else's friendship dilemma, I just read the advice to "send her an email."

It's perfectly good advice, but it occurred to me that I wouldn't be able to do that. I communicate with my friends almost exclusively via Whatsapp. I could also use Facebook or Instagram, if I needed or wanted to.

In several cases, I could probably call their parents' landlines from memory and I could maybe send off a hopeful email to a hotmail address they set up when they were 14, but their actual day-to-day address that they still have and use? I don't think I'd have a clue.

For me, email is for "business" stuff (work, online purchases, forms, other admin) not social stuff. I'm not hugely unusual, am I?

OP posts:
PrelovedWithValue · 04/03/2021 13:35

No, hardly any. Once upon a time, like twenty years ago, I did. But now it's Facebook or WhatsApp or text.

nomorespaghetti · 04/03/2021 13:38

No, I don’t, and I rarely use email to get in touch with friends. The only time it’s an issue is if i want to send them a gift card via email. My friend just had twins and I wanted to send her a deliveroo voucher, but didn’t know her email. Ruins the surprise a bit when you have to ask for their email!

Original poster
TheNorthWind · 04/03/2021 14:53

This is comforting. I like to be reassured that I'm a normal and not neglectful friend Grin

OP posts:
Itsokthanks · 04/03/2021 14:55

I have for friends I've been away with because we've shared booking info etc by email. But otherwise I'd never email friends.

riotlady · 04/03/2021 14:59

Yeah, absolutely no idea. It's all whatsapp or facebook. Although like you, I know the landline for my best friend's house from 20 years ago!

Bloodybridget · 04/03/2021 15:06

Yes, use email a lot, I probably have all my friends' addresses. I do of course use texts and WhatsApp too.

fudgesmummy · 04/03/2021 15:34

No email addresses at all
Some I haven't even got their mobile number as I communicate through personal messenger on Facebook!!

user1493413286 · 04/03/2021 15:48

I realised this recently when setting up a zoom call that I don’t have my friends emails as put simply we just don’t email

BigPaperBag · 04/03/2021 15:54

Emailing a friend is the equivalent of calling their landline 😂 To be clear, very old fashioned. WhatsApp all the way for me.

SkepticalCat · 04/03/2021 15:58

But surely in this context "send them an email" is just shorthand for "send them a WhatsApp/messenger/private Instagram message" (delete as necessary)?

ExponentiallyDepleted · 04/03/2021 16:08

No, but 10+ years ago it was very much how we organised ourselves. Then we gradually moved to Messenger groups and now it's virtually all Whatsapp. There are a few people that I might email once or twice a year for a longer catchup, a bit like writing a letter rather than chatting.

Original poster
TheNorthWind · 04/03/2021 16:14

@SkepticalCat

But surely in this context "send them an email" is just shorthand for "send them a WhatsApp/messenger/private Instagram message" (delete as necessary)?
Yeah, it might well be. (Although I'd say "message them," probably.) That's just what triggered my thought, so I mentioned it as a bit of context.

I hadn't thought about Zoom calls and the need for email addresses - I'm afraid I'm not the one who tends to set them up.

OP posts:
ExponentiallyDepleted · 04/03/2021 16:41

My social zooms are all set up by whatsapp, it tends to be professional ones that use email, eg fitness classes, committee meetings, training, etc.

emmathedilemma · 04/03/2021 16:43

I don't. For a group of them I do because we've been arranging an event so by email recently.
Other friends that I text or whatsapp regularly I haven't emailed for years so i might have an address for them but I'd need to check it's still valid.

irregularegular · 04/03/2021 16:48

I do, yes. Though I could see how possibly if I made new friends now it might be through WhatsApp etc and I might not have e-mail. But most of my friends are a bit older. Plus tbh it's still the case that lots of party invites, book club, big coffee morning invites, kids activities, group trips are done by e-mail, so I tend to collect everyone's emails that way, including people who are not close friends but just part of the same general social group. Anything a bit more complicated is easier written and read in an e-mail than a WA/text/FB message. I'm in my late 40s. I know that my 18 year old daughter would never e-mail her friends and thinks it is very odd and old fashioned.

irregularegular · 04/03/2021 16:49

I have a lot more e-mails than I have phone numbers.

Bluntness100 · 04/03/2021 16:53

Yes, absolutely, often when we arrange gigs, festivals, weekends away, holidays etc (those were th days) we would email each other the receipts for confirmation and safe keeping . In addition we now use them for zoom calls.

So we all have each other’s email addresses but we don’t use them unless sending something that needs to be kept that you can’t do via what’s app or text, or for zoom,

lachy · 04/03/2021 16:59

I have most of them, but only because of booking weekend breaks etc. Don't actually email them other than forwarding on a booking confirmation or similar.

Original poster
TheNorthWind · 05/03/2021 10:49

God, I'd like to book a weekend break with all my old friends Sad

OP posts:
TokyoSushi · 05/03/2021 10:51

A few, just from forwarding things like trip details or tickets for something, but never to actually, you know, email them!

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