Anonymous wrote:
Freeman wrote:If I receive something that was requested, such as information, documents, etc., I'll usually respond with something like "Thanks", just like I would say thanks if I asked someone to hand me something in person. It also serves the useful purpose of documenting that the email was received, should the question ever come up. If it is just a back and forth conversation, or nothing actually being passed in the email, then I don't think it necessary. I generally follow the rule of thumb that says to only say it in an email if you would also say it in person.(Ex: "Can you hand me that file? Thanks.")
I pretty much do the same as outlined above. I'm 40ish - if it matters. It is generally accepted in my organization (large, international) that you thank someone for sending something you've requested.
Similarly, I will say "thank you" if I have asked someone for the information, or they sent me something particularly useful, or there's some comment I wish to make about it. On the other hand, I get hundreds of emails a day, and I work with someone who sends me a "thank you" response every time I forward an "fyi" type email, and I do find it a bit annoying. Not enough to tell them to stop doing it, however. It does just seem to be a waste of everyone's time. I know that, if I sent a response to every single email I get, I would never do anything else. I have a hard enough time keeping up with the ones that require a substantive response.