I do respond to all emails and ask a question even if it is obvious from their message that they did not read my profile because theirs definitely disqualifies them (ie they are still married!!) When they do not respond to the question in my email proving they don't care what's important to me and probably never read it, I do not write anymore and usually remove or block them.
I do NOT respond to pokes, nudges, kisses, etc. unless I am really interested and would have written them on my own if I had seen their profile first. If you can't even say hi...
But I only sign own about twice a week. I think it is important to maintain my existing friendships on Facebook and private emails and I do have an off line life...
Best wishes finding a real person who you really want to mingle with...

of course they don't read the profiles
why you think I keep mine short?

in fact, not really sure they read the messages
sometimes I get one back and I am like
wtf is he even talking about

What is quite possibly true is that certain people with profiles exist in pictures only.

I did a Google search and what some sites do (I'm not casting doubt on this particular site), is to post numerous (if not the majority) pictures of very attractive women and men, publish the bare minimum information in their profiles so as not to offer too much information that can be questioned, match you up with someone that you thought would never be interested in you (for any # of personal reasons) and then when you message them in an honest and trusting approach as one would expect from any 'dating' site, you either never get a response and/or if you do, it is so bland, minimal and general that you wonder and start to question if you ever asked any questions of them in your first email attempting to contact them.

It is obvious that there are some very real members here. The other may not be so obvious, but if some of these aforementioned circumstances have happened to you, especially over and over again, I can certainly understand why that member would want to know the answer to the subject of this thread.

Some people are just impolite, some are just likely also very full of themselves, but it's just hard to imagine that there are that many people not answering their messages that fit either group.

Other's thoughts......?

What an excellent topic!

What thoughtful, insightful replies!

Not much to add,

BUT !!

Congratulations SassyEuro on reaching the four digit mark here @m2.

As has already been observed, no answer is an answer.
I agree, a polite response is preferred.
Welcome to the 3rd Millennium, where 10 fingered beings type with their thumbs.

R U ok w/ that?

[nope]

I used to try to answer almost every email with at least "Thanks for the contact. Welcome to Mingle. "

If I was interested I referenced something in their profile; show I actually read it and their message; hopeful not the scammer robo response "Hi you are so beautiful, blah blah How long you been on the site? blah blah Can we go to Yahoo chat or text?". Obviously have not read my profile pretty clear since number of posts would suggest something longer than a couple days. Then the one's who are not scammer clearly state married, separated, smoker, have kids at home. Or younger than my age limits. All non-starters as stated in my profile. Why waste my time ; are they practicing their typing skills? Muttering to themselves in the mirror on dragon speaks? I don't get it. But then I found out even a polite no response doesn't deter. Even a "Not interested" you get argument. I don't know if they think I am playing some cat and mouse game but no is just that no. It will be No if you wait a year and ask again.

It's a sobering regret that as the good book warns, "the love of $money is the root of all evil".
This depraved preoccupation with spamming us blocks us from contacting one another.

Circumventing their greed is fairly easy.
I could spell it out here; but don't want to clear the way to a whole new level of scamming.

BUT !!

Simply posting that should give legitimate e-mailers the necessary insight to evade the obstacles the scammers have created.

This is so true!!

It is not true.

An unexpected message from a complete stranger is like an unexpected telemarketing call. There isn't anything wrong with ignoring either.

madhatterlizzy asked why e-mails aren't answered.

Some may fear merely opening them may introduce computer malware risks.

I'm assured merely opening the e-mail isn't risky.

Not a bad idea to say hello.

I respectively disagree.. If a person says hello in the real world do you not speak and respond. I find that on the internet it is so easy for some to rude..
I personally believe to be the same out here as I am in the real world.. So much easier to do IMHO

No response is a response.
And the response is " NO"

I can neither confirm nor deny any response and I am not currently disposed to discuss a response if any response in fact existed.

I too can neither confirm nor deny a response to a response, if in fact the initial response was ever discussed and did in fact exit.

If a woman does not respond to your first message?ummmm ya resending her same one over and over isn't gonna work

Speaking face to face isn't the same thing as getting a telemarketing call.
There is nothing rude about not responding to the latter, and an unexpected message from a complete stranger is like an unexpected telemarketing call.

Perhaps, in some cases.

In other cases it may simply be a matter of computer illiteracy. They'd reply to e-mail if they knew they had incoming mail.

- or -

They know they have it, but don't know how to reply.

- or -

Perhaps, like me, they feared malware risk. Here's a useful URL on that:

http://mingle2.com/topic/435311

I got an e-mail from a charming lady, but didn't respond because the above URL explanation hadn't arrived yet.

note:
I am not suggesting cyber-stalking anyone. Don't do that. 15 e-mails a day for a month and a half is WEIGH out of line.

BUT !!

If there's someone you're interested in, and they don't reply, what I'd think would make sense would be to change the subject line, personalize it, and try once more.
- It should indicate you're a real person, and not a scammer.
- It should demonstrate your sincerity, if your subject line personalization is good.
- You may just meet Ms. Wright. It wouldn't be the first time!

Best of luck to all !

IMHO, some Humans are just too thin-skinned to take no answer as an answer.

Or some so thick-skinned that simply being polite is too much of a bother, somehow below them and not in their 'how to treat people' network/protocol.

Bottomline, for me.......it certainly wasn't a loss of any potential, 'diamond in the rough'.

The polite thing would be for strangers who send unexpected messages to people to not whine when their messages receive no response.

There is nothing rude about not answering a message sent by a complete stranger. Such a message is like junk mail that one receives in a mail box.

So you pass someone on the street and they say 'hi' and you don't feel any reason nor compulsion, whatsoever, to respond in kind.....? Sure, it is a bit of a different scenario, but the fact that simply recognizing that a persons attempt at being nice and showing an interest in you deserves better than a complete snub.....IMO.

If a message is sent, isn't that the very first natural approach, in regards to what the majority here likely believes, in an attempt to communicate with another member......?

Whether you know immediately, after checking that sending members profile, that you're not interested, it would seem the most commonly accepted courtesy would be to give a short, polite response rather than to make that person feel completely discounted.

Being nice doesn't detract from that person nor does it cost anything. I can't imagine that each one of us doesn't know that of the two approaches to this 'issue' that have been mentioned, only one would be generally considered both polite and thankfully, a much more common and acceptable practice.