Earlier quoted context omitted.
Signal is an open protocol and supports E2E encrypted text, voice and video.
There were 2 important adjectives before open.
What about secure and encrypted, which I feel are even more important adjectives?
Just Use Email – How to Use Email for Everything
61–70 of 310 posts
Re: Just Use Email – How to Use Email for Everything
#62Earlier quoted context omitted.
I'm with you, I absolutely cannot stand using email unless I absolutely have to, which is mostly just at work. And it's a fine way for government or businesses to contact me, just like mail was. But just like mail letter writing declined after the invention of the telephone, e-mail has declined after the invention of IM
I remember using email in an IM-like fashion, having a real-time back and forth conversation. The only difference is that most email clients quote the entire conversation on every reply. A lightweight client could have an IM-like interface that does not quote the original message on replies. Who cares if it's SMTP under the covers, the whole experience could feel quite IM-like and it would have all the other benefits…
Like DeltaChat.[1]
Re: Just Use Email – How to Use Email for Everything
#63Earlier quoted context omitted.
You really can't run your on email server nowadays though, you need to have been running one for several decades otherwise the email common email providers(gmail, outlook) will automatically just assume its spam. Also due to the way extensions added to the email protocol configuring and learning how to properly configure it so it gets accepted will be a dayjob.
This isn’t universally true, although your broader point (it could change at any time!) is a risk. As a data point, I have run my own email servers for years. Both professionally (couple million transactional emails per year) and for my personal. If you follow best practices (which is a pain to setup!), deliver ability is generally on par with other providers, unless you got unlucky and got a bad IP.
This is my experience too: there are a couple providers that are more difficult (Verizon, iirc), but I’ve never found a personal email server much of a hassle to maintain.
Re: Just Use Email – How to Use Email for Everything
#64Before you go using Email for everything, check to make sure your audience can actually get your email and that it's not going to spam.
---
10 years ago, I briefly worked for an for a small business that built wordpress plugins. They had an internal message board for communication and, unknown to me, they also used email. It took me six weeks to find out that I had missed hundreds of internal emails, many of which were directed at me. This was due in part to lack of on boarding and mismanagement by my boss (who was also managed the email system).
Now you may ask, why weren't you reading your email, did you not check it? You see, I checked my email religiously, couple of times an hour. But here is what happened.
This company used gmail for domains. And one thing that gmail does is it hides the spam label (or doesn't put a number next to spam). I had assumed, that since I had a brand new email address and that label was either missing or didn't have a counter next to it. I wasn't getting any spam. I was getting some internal email, so I didn't think much of it.
What I didn't know at the time was the internal email addresses were on the same domain as the marketing emails. They did a lot of unsolicited marketing, as such gmail automatically marked their domain as spam. Nearly every single email from the company was going into my spam folder.
Worse nobody said said anything about me missing these emails (including those from the owner/CEO and the CFO). Maybe they said something to my boss, but as he wasn't happy I had been assigned to his group he probably "forgot" to mention it to me. Anyway, I am sure missing several hundred emails was one of the reasons I wasn't retained passed my probationary period.
The big takeaways:
1. Don't do marketing from the same domain as internal email
2. Use a different domain for internal email
3. Always check the spam folder.
4. If you consistently don't hear from someone through email, ask them if they are receiving your email.
Re: Just Use Email – How to Use Email for Everything
#65Earlier quoted context omitted.
I remember using email in an IM-like fashion, having a real-time back and forth conversation. The only difference is that most email clients quote the entire conversation on every reply. A lightweight client could have an IM-like interface that does not quote the original message on replies. Who cares if it's SMTP under the covers, the whole experience could feel quite IM-like and it would have all the other benefits…
The problem is that the moment you try and add even the most basic value-add features, other email clients can't understand you anymore. And this applies to fundamental things like identity verification, encryption and group chats.
Technically I don't see an issue with doing these things in a portable, standard way. Email signature and encryption (s/mime) has existed for a long time and most mainstream clients know how to handle it. The nut that has still not been cracked very well AFAIK is how to create and share public keys in a seamless way.
Re: Just Use Email – How to Use Email for Everything
#66I don't think this kind of Luddism is useful. It's purported by the same kinds of people that, upon seeing a new SaaS, quickly retort: "couldn't you just do that with Google Docs/Word/pen and paper?" Not to mention that email absolutely sucks . The confusing threads, the forwarding, the constant CC'ing, someone making it or not making it into a list, the spam. It's absolute garbage. In fact, people have been seeking…
Can't agree more
Email works O.K for one-way communication (e.g. mailing lists or bill notification). Maybe sometimes infrequent one on one communcation
When its comes to having a converstation, particularly with multiple people, I can't think of anything worse. I always dread tracking down information when I have to dig into achived mailing lists
Re: Just Use Email – How to Use Email for Everything
#67I get really peeved when social networks don't support email notifications for posts/updates, as opposed to just replies: I'd rather manage people's posts in an inbox, where I can pick through at my leisure than in an algorithmic feed. I used to stress about seeing all the updates since the last time I was on a given site.
Re: Just Use Email – How to Use Email for Everything
#68Earlier quoted context omitted.
I just switched my long running SMTP to a new IP. I've got SPF, DKIM and DMARC all dialed in. I'm not getting tagged as spam. Even when I add new domains to this host for sending - still gets through to G, Y and MS based services.
As SPF, DKIM and DMARC have become more widely implemented, is IP reputation less of a factor than it used to be in spam detection algorithms? This is just my speculation, but it seems plausible.
I don't know. But a) I'm low volume and no list services and b) I checked my IPs against the BL before setting up the VMs. I still believe the terror-tales of trying to get an IP off them. My own spam filters still use them.
Re: Just Use Email – How to Use Email for Everything
#69Earlier quoted context omitted.
I'll give you an up-vote because I think a variety of different viewpoints is important, but I'm very much in the e-mail camp. My biggest reason is simply: it's the only ubiquitous, decentralized, open protocol that I can think of. I can run my own server if I want, an I can interact with anybody with an e-mail address . Sure, there was XMPP for IM, but that doesn't have wide adoption; same with other protocols.
You really can't run your on email server nowadays though, you need to have been running one for several decades otherwise the email common email providers(gmail, outlook) will automatically just assume its spam. Also due to the way extensions added to the email protocol configuring and learning how to properly configure it so it gets accepted will be a dayjob.
This is a recurrent FUD dropping. I’ve run my own for about 15 years and it works. Occasional mails get sent to spam by Gmail, but that can happen if you use a big provider, too. Take an hour to set up DKIM, etc., and you should be OK.
Re: Just Use Email – How to Use Email for Everything
#70Earlier quoted context omitted.
I'm with you, I absolutely cannot stand using email unless I absolutely have to, which is mostly just at work. And it's a fine way for government or businesses to contact me, just like mail was. But just like mail letter writing declined after the invention of the telephone, e-mail has declined after the invention of IM
I remember using email in an IM-like fashion, having a real-time back and forth conversation. The only difference is that most email clients quote the entire conversation on every reply. A lightweight client could have an IM-like interface that does not quote the original message on replies. Who cares if it's SMTP under the covers, the whole experience could feel quite IM-like and it would have all the other benefits…
I agree. Email is fast enough to have a real-time conversation, I do it often. Maybe not as instant as WhatsApp, etc, but with other advantages.