E-mail protocol

[tractor]

OK, we might have covered this before, but I don't remember. I sent an unsolicited e-mail to a college admissions staff. I didn't expect a response due to the timing (school starts this week) but she got right back to me within 24 hours, answered my question, and threw in some extra information. Do I e-mail her back with a quick "thank you" or not. I don't want it to see awkward.

[kittensaver]

Absolutely!

[milee]

I'm missing something. Why would it be awkward to say "thank you"? She gave you a response and other helpful information, thank you seems appropriate.

[Tennesseer]

Of course you should.  She went far beyond your own expectations.  

[Rob Base 2.0]

Don't be awkward. " Thank you" is for suckers.  If you do that you are calling her a sucker.  No one likes insults

[alabamagal]

Being polite is never a problem.

[hoops902]

Yes, you can email back and say "thank you". I would include something a bit more concrete though, so it doesn't sound like a random "automatic" reply to an email "thanks for the information, we didn't realize that blah blah blah.  I really appreciate the quick response."

The "protocol" of not sending "thank you" followed by "you're welcome" seems to apply a lot more to corporate settings within an organization.  Nobody wants their mailbox flooded with meaningless messages all day.  I would say a genuine message of thanks is always welcome though (the key is that it has to sound like a genuine thank you, not some mindless reply you send to everyone). 

[tractor]

Thanks for the quick responses. I did send her back a quick "thank you" with a little joke about having 2 Wolverines in the house (my wife and I are both Spartans).