To you I ask this question, “What is wrong with responding to an inquiry from a business, or potential business, associate?”
I am curious to hear your replies within the next two days. Of course I will give my point of view in that same amount of time.
Thank you.
About Alex Simmons Says
Alex Simmons is an award-winning freelance writer, comic book creator, playwright, teaching artist, and educational consultant. He’s written for Disney Books, Penguin Press, Simon and Schuster, Marvel, DC, and Archie Comics. Simmons is the creator of the acclaimed adventure comic book series, Blackjack. As a teaching artist, Simmons has created and taught creative arts workshops for students and educators in the US, Europe, West Indies, and Africa.
Simmons has served on panels and delivered lectures on children’s entertainment mediums, as well as empowering young people through the arts. Simmons founded the annual family event, Kids Comic Con, as well as three comic arts exhibits, which have traveled abroad. He is currently developing a comics and creative arts program for children all over the world.
During the past 35 years, Simmons has participated as a member of arts and education boards for several New York State nonprofit organizations, as well as one in Nigeria.
As a teaching artist Simmons has worked with youth through the Bronx Community College, the Christopher Barron Live Life Foundation, Apollo Theater In-School Arts Program, Henkel McCoy, Upward Bound, New York Council on the Arts, Children’s Art Carnival, Wings Academy, and NYU Creative Arts Team, to name a few.
He has been a panelist at many literacy and arts events, and he has been a guest speaker at numerous colleges and educational institutions here and abroad.
SimmonsHereAndNow 
Hey Alex, how ya doin’? =^)
Hmm, I’m not sure how to respond to this. Can you provide more detail? I feel like there’s an ethical issue here that you’re really asking about but without knowing more details I’m not sure I can give a constructive answer.
Do you mean business or a job? Is there a potential conflict of loyalties? The best I can say right now is to never act on impulse, respect your own interests as well as those of the party for whom you may be working for or with whom you are in business, and communicate honestly. But without more information that’s all I’ve got!
Hope that helps!
Hi Terri: Perhaps you’re right. To be more specific … Let’s say you have an initial contact or dialog with a business or its representative. The encounter ends with them asking you to reach out with additional information, or to see where things stand on a potential project, or to see if they are still interested in meeting with you further.
You do as requested and receive no reply. You wait the considered respectable time and attempt again to make contact. Again no reply. This practice goes on for one or two more times, over a short or lengthy period until you decide …
What?
There in lies the question in a more detailed fashion.
Hi Alex, thanks for the extra info.
Hmm, I guess it depends on what’s at stake and what kind of project it is. If it were me, and the time had passed…if the stakes are small-to-medium level in terms of prestige or financial return, I’d probably send a politely worded communique that requests a definitive update on the project with the caveat that if I don’t hear from them by a specified time I’ll assume that the project or my role in it is no go, for whatever reason. I’d make sure to keep the tone friendly and professional, no hard feelings. I’d probably also leave an opening for contact or consideration in the future. But I’d also try to find a way to make it clear that unless I hear from them we’ll be parting ways FOR NOW.
If the stakes are HIGH in terms of prestige or financial reward, I might try to use a backchannel to find out what’s going on before sending anything official. If that didn’t pan out I’d go back to option one.
But that’s just me.
Thanks Terri. Anyone else care to offer up a thought or two?