How not to make friends

What is the chance that I responded positively to this?

Comments

[Chandan]

p=0.3
q=0.7

[Eric]

Dani F. Kennedy School of Government?

[RLM]

Seriously, guys?

Probably the work of some assistant...

[happyjuggler0]

Sucks getting a Dear John letter doesn't it?

[TKM]

It is obvious that this invitation will not be sent without knowing Dani's works let alone his name. Suppose, their computer is infected by a viruse or the secritary is so stressed or there is letter Macro that is filled in inappropriately, etc. It's embarassing but it is also important to note action imperfections in addition to market imperfections :)

[GreatZamfir]

In Germany, just calling someone Dr instead Herr Prof Dr would have been enough reason not to answer.

[Econblogger]

Equals the probability that the name is correct.

[Per Kurowski]

Should be less than the probabilities you responded negatively!

The more imprecise the better the chance that it comes from far away; the better the chances you are getting slowly but surely to be known, perhaps even on other planets; so take it all in a stride you can’t have the cake and eat it too.

[Ken Houghton]

Maybe they mean this guy:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Roderick

[Mike]

Oops. A shame, too - the topic's one I find quite interested, and I'd have been keen to hear your thoughts on the matter. And yet now, thanks to administrative blunder, highly unlikely to do so.

[Anonymous]

Oh please! You're a wealthy, respected, world famous economist. Are you really so vulnerable that this simple mistake offends you into an automatic refusal. Don't be so petty! Grow up!

[DeeWilliams]

Anonymous has it right.
Don't expect anyone to feel sorry for you because you got one letter that got your name wrong.

90% of your blog readers are in the class of citizens that put up with this on a daily basis and are not wealthy, world famous, or brilliant.

Suck it up.

[John Rodrick]

I must say, just because "90% of your blog readers are in the class of citizens that put up with this on a daily basis" that is not a good reason to start putting up with it. In fact, I believe that less "wealthy" or "brilliant" people should STOP putting up with it too, not the other way around. If you accept such sloppyness, it will bread more of the same- so please, for the rest of us, don't put up with it!

[DeeWilliams]

John (Dani?),

I think you misunderstood me. I don't put up with it because I have lower standards per se, I put up with it because my ego isn't so easily bruised.

If you think this isn't about your ego and that it's only about your disdain of "sloppyness", then think about this question. People around you make 1,000s of mistakes every day (maybe not the Olympian professors at Harvard, but the little people you meet in between seminars, classes, and power lunches). A cashier may give you incorrect change, a student may come to class ill prepared, whatever. Yet, you ONLY blog when someone gets your name wrong.

Why? Do you think other people will care more about this than when you complain about getting incorrect change?

[RLM]

@DeeWilliams: The whole thing was supposed to be funny. Well, this isn't a 16-year-old giving change at the local CVS. This is an editorial board supposedly asking him to write a piece for an academic journal. Wouldn't you expect them to know his name? They didn't just misspell it--they also got it completely wrong.

If you are trying to get the attention of someone who probably receives numerous demands for time, sending a hastily conceived invitation is a sure way to waste a lot of people's time.

Also, your characterization of professors as rich and famous is... optimistic.

[Gillian]

*sigh*... what a delightful series of comments showing many a deft touch. Chandon set the tone with his/her formula, and the players danced and wove right through to RLM's well-placed ellipsis to conveys delicate nuance.

Perhaps there's more to come, and this post will be a comma not a full stop.

Keep up the good work team!

Oh, and thanks Dani (rich and famous) for hosting this flourish of improvisation.

[Anthony Damiani]

Well, as long as they spelled your name right...

[Jurate (not that assistant, but guilty of similar!)]

It itself, it could have been a technical mistake that happens once in each 2000 letters sent. Becoming aware of it post factum is colder than ice-cold shower for the person who probably visually mismatched name/ last name in the spreadsheet file while addressing the letter. Not that it was less stingy if the addressee was somebody less famous... I say shoot an email asking whether it was meant for someone else.

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