Important to write date on letter?

[Volante]

I wonder if you use to write date on the letter you send out, like the day you wrote it or something? Is it necessary? I can't imagine it's necessary but maybe a bit funnier for the celeb.? Or that they put you in some kind of queue depending on which date you sent?

Hum..

[cernan]

This is somewhat of a tough question. I always include the date because its a habit. But about responding to your letter first because of the date that it was sent... I haven't seen that too much on these forums.

[nowandagain]

I definitely write the date on the letters I send out.

With any letter you write, whether in business or personal letters, you should include the date. This gives the reader a sense of a time period of when you actually wrote the letter. Plus, it can be seen as your thoughts being captured on a certain moment of that day.

However, it's up to you whether you decide to do so or not.

I haven't heard of anything regarding putting letters into a queue to be answered by a celebrity.

Good luck

nowandagain [rockon]

[mkainsworth]

I agree... I always write dates on my letters. I find it more professional.

[tinker_mel]

I'd better start doing that then

I have such a long address though!! I don't want to add another line!

[fbb819]

I've never put on the date, I just never thought of it. I doubt they will respond first because the date is on it. If they;ve opened up the envelope I think they will respond to it not put it away until later. Though it is probably good habit to start doing that. Thanks for the idea.

[Piper]

I usually include the date, but it's more out of habit than anything else. I don't know that it makes any difference in response time.

[TheCollector]

I always put the date on my letters, but like others have said I don't think it makes much difference to how quickly they are dealt with!

What I think happens a lot is - the agent for the celeb collects up all the fan mail in a pile (box etc!) so it is all together when the celeb comes in for a signing session. Unfortunately quite often this means that last letters received are the first ones dealt with! This is especially the case if the celeb doesn't get right to the bottom of the pile on a single session

This would help to explain why some people send their letters later but get their reply first

Just a thought

Ian

[nowandagain]

What I think happens a lot is - the agent for the celeb collects up all the fan mail in a pile (box etc!) so it is all together when the celeb comes in for a signing session. Unfortunately quite often this means that last letters received are the first ones dealt with! This is especially the case if the celeb doesn't get right to the bottom of the pile on a single session

This would help to explain why some people send their letters later but get their reply first

That's a very plausible idea Ian, and I would think the same thing too.

I've seen it happen before, which can be very annoying for those who send out their request first!

nowandagain [rockon]

[starreyes]

I never write the date. Ever. I kind of do the same thing as what Ian was saying with the signing sessions, only instead of signing, I get a list of people I want to write to and write a bunch of letters at the same time, and the take some time putting them all in envelopes and mailing them out, then I stop for a week or two.

As for the box idea, that is exactly what many celebrities do, and that explains why so many of the earlier sent ones take longer than the later sent ones. The only exceptions I have definately seen, and remember reading about specificaly are Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr.(I read a joint interview about this, this is how I know) They shared signing techniques, that is why this is the same. Since they get bagfulls of mail every day, they put the bags in order, that way they get to them in the order they were sent. They agree that this is more fair to the fans. Een thought Paul doesn't sign hardly at all anymore, he has his secretaries do it, and he is really firm about that rule. He wants to be fair to all the people that took the time to write to him, even if he can't take the time to write back. I no longer have the interview, but it was very interesting. Has anyone else heard of celebrities doing this? I think Good Charlotte might have used to in 2003, but I am not possitive.