I sometimes get too many PMs.
For example, at this exact moment, on this site alone, I have 7800 PMs, and 1100 of those are still in my inbox, mostly ongoing conversations. There are sometimes days where I'll get 50 PMs.
So I want to address a few items, in order to (hopefully!) reduce needless PMs.
Health = slower replies
Preface: I have multiple sclerosis (MS), which is a life-altering autoimmune disease. It's an extremely variable condition, and every MS sufferer is affected differently. Some have physical disabilities, while others have invisible disabilities that affect the mind and body. Some have both, some have neither. And it's a relapsing condition that can mutate over time. I've talked about it openly ever since I was diagnosed several years ago. It's a commonly misunderstood disease/condition, and the only way for folks to understand it is to talk about it. Although I manage fairly well, it can be rough at times.
What this means is that I'm not online everyday.
Sometimes I get online long enough to check email, monitor the forum queue, check a few sites, and then I'm done.
Understand that I'm not part of the smart phone generation, and I don't have my head tilted down in a permanent 45-degree angle. I don't need or want to be jacked in to cyberspace 24/7. I don't have a phone buzzing in my pocket all day. My thumbs aren't glued to a tiny screen, twitching with carpal seizures. However, I do have a tablet, for those times when I'm bedridden, so I'm not a troglodyte.
"I saw you reply to somebody else, why not me?"
You're not being ignored or forgotten.
It's almost always an issue of simplicity. By that I mean that the forum question asked was simple for me to quickly answer. Your forum question or PM requires more effort than I'm able to do at the moment. Please be patient.
On my good days, understand that I often reply to posts/PMs between other tasks, and I only have a few moments available. But even in my down/bad days, I'll often reply to something during my brief online check-in.
"Did you get my last PM?"
Please don't do this until at least 10 days have passed. Stuff like this is a major inbox clogger.
"Where's my stuff?"
Preface: In the past couple of years, I've been selling the hardware that is talked about on this site, the gear we need for the high quality analog conversion of consumer formats: VCRs, TBCs, proc amps, detailers, capture cards, and a few other nifty items. Much of it was just my excess gear from years past.
If you bought something, you are getting it! 
I'm not
Amazon Prime, just a person. It takes me time package the gear carefully. (And unlike
Amazon or eBay sellers, I use specific boxes and packing materials so it's not damaged in transit. I want it to arrive to you as perfect as it was for me. Those who have bought gear from me are often impressed by my packing job. My attention to detail with packaging is on par with my attention to detail for video!)
Afterwards, it's taken to the post office, and we try to get to the post office at least once per week. Then you'll get a PM from me, with the subject "Tracking!", so you know it's been sent. Most items are insured, with signature required.
This is another inbox clogger type PM, and it actually makes your package take longer to ship. (Why, you ask? Because that PM with your shipping address is now buried.)
"Help!"
This is a pet peeve of mine. This is a completely useless non-descriptive PM title, and I have no idea what you want without reading the message.
(a) it goes on the bottom of my priority list
(b) when I open the PM, and it's a wall of text, it goes on my negative priority list
(c) it's usually a tech question, which is against the forum rules (don't PM Site Staff tech questions, post it on the forum!), and my reply will be to "post about this on the forum, not PM".
Again, a total inbox clogger.
"Are you okay?"
Although the spirit of the message is appreciated, more often than not it's a veiled variation of
- "Where's my stuff?"
- "Did you get my last PM?"
- "Why didn't you reply to me yet?"
And therefore just another inbox clogger.
Family will post if there is a serious issue, just as they did in 2012.
... and I think that's it.
This will probably reduce my PM load by a third.
