PragDave: Followup on the EMail Experiment
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PragDave: Followup on the EMail Experiment
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Re: PragDave: Followup on the EMail Experiment
#2So I'm going to try this next summer. I've always wanted to, but never heard of anyone who actually went through with it.
I've also heard of someone setting up a script that automatically sent out a "I have not read you email since it arrived 2 weeks ago...if you need an answer reply to this email and I'll get back to you".
And it's not like people who actually have something important to tell me can't give me a phone call.
Re: PragDave: Followup on the EMail Experiment
#3The beautiful thing about email is that the 'features' have stayed the same - today's email can do essentially the same stuff that email ten years ago could - and yet it has evolved as a method of communication beyond its original uses.
The unfortunate thing about email is exactly that - it has evolved beyond its original uses. Not too long ago, paper communication was a must for any important document. Now, most banks encourage customers to use online banking for their statements - which, like many important online activity, is authenticated by email.
I don't think there's a person around who doesn't receive more emails today than they did a decade ago - many even by an order of magnitude. As OP shows, there are ways to adapt email organically, without changing the underlying protocol or standard. These sorts of adaptations are only going to be come more necessary as time passes and the volume (and type!) of email that people receive grows.
Re: PragDave: Followup on the EMail Experiment
#4Thanks for the follow up.
Still, I wouldn't place such a rude "I don't care, it's deleted, mail me again when I'm back" autoresponder.
Re: PragDave: Followup on the EMail Experiment
#5I hate to be cynical but it seems like doing this is just saying, "I am more important than the people who send me email, so I will place the burden of tracking my schedule on them."
The other interpretation of this is that his email inbox is generally full of useless dreck that does not matter all that much to either him or the sender.
Perhaps the success of this experiment says more about the kind of email he receives than it does about the general applicability of the experiment itself.
Re: PragDave: Followup on the EMail Experiment
#6So I'm going to try this next summer. I've always wanted to, but never heard of anyone who actually went through with it. I've also heard of someone setting up a script that automatically sent out a "I have not read you email since it arrived 2 weeks ago...if you need an answer reply to this email and I'll get back to you". And it's not like people who actually have something important to tell me can't give me a phon…
> And it's not like people who actually have something important to tell me can't give me a phone call.
That's what I'd be worried about in doing something like that, actually. I don't really like phone calls, and I'd prefer even people who have my phone number to email me if the matter doesn't absolutely require a phone call. So I wouldn't want my email habits to push more people to call me.
Re: PragDave: Followup on the EMail Experiment
#7I hate to be cynical but it seems like doing this is just saying, "I am more important than the people who send me email, so I will place the burden of tracking my schedule on them." The other interpretation of this is that his email inbox is generally full of useless dreck that does not matter all that much to either him or the sender. Perhaps the success of this experiment says more about the kind of email he recei…
In my experience, having an e-mail hit your inbox doesn't necessarily mean that you're the most important recipient.
At work I may be on the CC list for a number of ongoing e-mail threads - usually they don't require any input from me, but I might have to read through them to determine whether this is the case.
These types of e-mails will fill up your inbox, but don't quite sink to the level of "useless dreck," but sometimes you can legitimately say that your time is currently too important to spend sifting through lots of e-mail.
Re: PragDave: Followup on the EMail Experiment
#8Wouldn't it be more sensible to make a white list of people whose email you will read - relatives, important work people, etc.? That would minimize how much you piss off people you care about and probably still reduce your email volume by 90%.
Re: PragDave: Followup on the EMail Experiment
#9If I took this approach with my clients, they'd award me with a zero inbox count for perpeturity.
Re: PragDave: Followup on the EMail Experiment
#10Wouldn't it be more sensible to make a white list of people whose email you will read - relatives, important work people, etc.? That would minimize how much you piss off people you care about and probably still reduce your email volume by 90%.
That group of people is also likely to be the most sympathetic to you actually relaxing properly on your vacation.