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Gmail - Find Emails That Never Got a Reply

jonathan-kim.com

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Re: Gmail - Find Emails That Never Got a Reply

#11

Post by chimeracoder »

hijonathan wrote: post #8
wlj wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Boomerang for Gmail [0] has implemented this functionality well. I prefer it to say having an entire folder of emails I haven't received replies on as it allows me to specifically manage messages that are important enough to require a non-replied reminder. [0] http://www.boomeranggmail.com/

Boomerang and Followup.cc are both great alternatives, and I use them too. I like the granularity, but the downside is you're sending them a copy of your email, which might contain sensitive info :\

If you're looking for Boomerang functionality without the security/privacy implications, I wrote an open-source version that is designed to be self-hosted: https://github.com/ChimeraCoder/go-yo

It's written in Go; there's no external dependency except a service that downloads emails to a Mailbox-type directory (I recommend offlineimap).

I've been dogfooding it myself for the last few months - I haven't actually "released" it officially yet, but if anybody is interested in beta testing it, I'd love some feedback.

Re: Gmail - Find Emails That Never Got a Reply

#12

Post by chimeracoder »

> Some emails I send are sensitive, and I’d rather not forward it to a third-party service if I don’t have to. However, those sensitive emails are often important, so I need a way to remember to follow up.

I feel this pain.

Shameless plug: I wrote an open-source version of Boomerang/Followup.cc that is designed to be self-hosted, specifically because of this concern: https://github.com/ChimeraCoder/go-yo

(For the record: I like script in the original submission script, but for me, I rarely use the Gmail web interface, so I had to make something that works over IMAP).

It's still a WIP, but I've been using it myself for the "bounce-back" feature for the last several months.

Re: Gmail - Find Emails That Never Got a Reply

#13

Post by chany2 »

hijonathan wrote: post #8
wlj wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Boomerang for Gmail [0] has implemented this functionality well. I prefer it to say having an entire folder of emails I haven't received replies on as it allows me to specifically manage messages that are important enough to require a non-replied reminder. [0] http://www.boomeranggmail.com/

Boomerang and Followup.cc are both great alternatives, and I use them too. I like the granularity, but the downside is you're sending them a copy of your email, which might contain sensitive info :\

Just curious, based on your research, are people really concern about security of their confidential emails?

When do the access to better features outweight the need of security?

If you use Mailbox, they actually temporarily hold on to your rebounce emails as well. Other email apps such as Skimbox, the emails are stored in their MongoDB server. Obviously the value of this 2 applications, granted they are still alive and used by folks, then the features > security concern. Not that they are compromising your messages anyway.

I am sure different people have different priorities. Just a curious question based on your findings.

Btw I also called myself an aspiring entrepreneur in most of my email introductions. I think its just my humble way of saying I am working on it and dedicated to growing - as oppose to being too boastful when asking for advice.

Find me @ http://www.linkedin.com/in/garyyauchan/

Also love to get your feedback for Hashtags for Email @ https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6948659

Re: Gmail - Find Emails That Never Got a Reply

#16

Post by plg »

Not to be too persnickety, but if you have to search for emails that didn't get a response, doesn't this imply that they didn't matter all that much to begin with? In other words if they mattered, you would know, and you would follow up on your own?

I guess if you're so busy you lose track of these things? But again...

Re: Gmail - Find Emails That Never Got a Reply

#17

Post by mattbot5000 »

Lost_BiomedE wrote: post #4

Ah, I thought it would be the other way around. Before I send a mail, I click 'expect reply'. If I don't get a reply in x days, I get a notice. Is that a current option?

This could be accomplished by applying a label to the conversation and modifying the script to look for that.

Re: Gmail - Find Emails That Never Got a Reply

#18

Post by kbenson »

plg wrote: post #16

Not to be too persnickety, but if you have to search for emails that didn't get a response, doesn't this imply that they didn't matter all that much to begin with? In other words if they mattered, you would know, and you would follow up on your own? I guess if you're so busy you lose track of these things? But again...

Sometimes a reply may be contingent on getting some other bit of information in the near future, such as a response from some person or entity that is required before the response will be useful.

In the end, not everyone's usage pattern is the same, and people end up using email for things other than direct communication (such as tracking future work items). While not ideal, for some it's easier than dealing with a completely separate application that integrates to various degrees.

Re: Gmail - Find Emails That Never Got a Reply

#19

Post by andybak »

The scripting capabilities of Google Apps don't get enough love round here. I'm fascinated what's possible in terms of mashups and hacks when you allow stuff to be scripted. Web APIs get a lot of attention but not APIs on apps and app-like stuff.
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