No, we're not all as shy as you are, Dave! I'm not at all shy when it comes to genealogy and DNA connections! FOFL!!
Are you using a system or software program to help you research, organize and keep track of your matches? I recommend Genome Mate Pro (free). It helps you analyze and determine triangulated groups, track emails, keep notes, mark segments as known to be up your paternal or maternal line, shows shared surnames when you've got a family tree attached and any of your matches have a surname list, etc.
Definitely I send a lot more emails than I receive with regard to shared DNA. I suggest you put together (if you haven't already done so) a standard email to send to potential matches, always providing a link to your family tree/pedigree chart (on Wikitree or wherever you have it), and including a list of known surnames with locations/time frames. Always tell them where you found the match (ancestry, FTDNA, 23andMe or Gedmatch), and the name of the person/kit you are matching (some people administer numerous kits). Start with your largest shared segments, as it'll be easier to locate a common ancestor. Most importantly, don't get discouraged! You won't hear back from lots of people; some people will be adopted and have no knowledge of their ancestors; some people don't have family trees... You get the idea! Just keep plugging away. It'll get easier as time goes by and more and more people test (and put together family trees).