copy of letter (email) to SEM Editor

I emailed SEM (from memory it was to Gordon's email address) to complain about one of their advertisers last year and never got a reply !!!!!

-- Pete Aldous

Dear Nick

It's nothing to do with anything you've done. We have had a nighmare time with e-mails - I did put something in SE about, but I just tried to look it up and couldn't find it. We have had e-mails delayed, coming in the wrong chronological order and simply not arriving at all (even though the sender has seen it registered as cleared at his end).

For over 18 months we had been looking forward to getting onto Broadband - our saviour...the answer to all our problems. Being in the sticks a bit it, it was long time before BT considered there were enough subscribers in our area to make it worthwhile. Finally two months ago we were joined to Broadband.

The result? Even worse! In the first few weeks we lost literally hundreds of e-mails. We will never know exactly how many or who sent them (we've probably upset a lot of people without even knowing it). Our IT man explained the reason for it, I couldn't quite get my mind round it, but apparently having installed a new server at the same time contributed a little.

All now seemed to be sorted out. However, this is the third time we have had serious problems with e-mails, so I can't guarantee it won't happed again. All I can say it that I do endeavour to acknowledge all incoming e-mails, so if you don't hear from me you will know something has gone wrong (or I'm on holiday - even then I always catch up when I get back).

All the best Gordon

PS At least you can be sure ypu got through this time.

Dear Gordon,

Ah, I can see that accepting copy by email without broadband could be a problem - a few decent res photo's take an eternity to download and the connection would probably fall over half way through! Still hopefully things will now improve.

That still leaves such questions of which address to use (ie youself for everything, or should letters + ID&ASST items etc go straight to Pat Knight), should text be in main body of email or as Word etc attachment, preferred formats, picture sizes and resolution etc. Perhaps you could advise in the next editorial.

Thanks for coming back so quickly.

B.Rgds.

Nick Highfield.

I sent a complete article last year to Mr Wright and heard and saw nothing :-((

Mart> I emailed SEM (from memory it was to Gordon's email address) to

-- please replace email with snipped-for-privacy@btopenworld.com.

May the force be with you, because if she isn't you're on a hiding to nothing.

Perhaps your article got lost in the email disasters Kelsey seem to be having (see 'Reply!') best try again Martin. Mind you I have rcvd no acknowledgement for an email Re. Marconi-Stanley engines which I sent a few days ago with a few megs of pictures attached. So I don't really know what to think.

BTW. Still had no August SEM so rang Kelsey yesterday and they finally accepted that it must have gone astray so will send replcement.

Dear Gordon,

Thinking about this a bit further, I guess the right place for such guidelines in on the new SEM website. Perhaps with a link to a dedicated mail box which could generate an automatic acknowledgement. If a monthly prize (say a year's free subscription) were to be offered for the best article or letter it would not only attract people to the web site but might tease out some interesting stuff from the vast majority who read the magazine but have not considered contributing.

B.Rgds.

Nick Highfield