Comments on: The end of email? http://www.theawesomeweb.co.uk/blog/the-end-of-email/ Registered in England and Wales. Company Number 6971536. © 2009 The Awesome Web Company. Fri, 07 Nov 2008 13:06:24 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.5 hourly 1 By: Jenny http://www.theawesomeweb.co.uk/blog/the-end-of-email/comment-page-1/#comment-101 Jenny Tue, 11 Mar 2008 14:00:27 +0000 http://www.jenny-bee.net/2008/03/07/the-end-of-email/#comment-101 As I said in another comment just now - sorry these comments only just appeared - need to tweak some wordpress settings... Some great responses here - thanks guys! (and 'hi' Sue!) @Trevor May raises the important issue of record keeping because at least with email I can (sometimes painfully!) track down past conversations. I believe there is an additional challenge with legal/contractual issues around how conversations are recorded - from a relationship as well as court-of-law perspective. But I don't know a great deal about this... anyone? As I said in another comment just now – sorry these comments only just appeared – need to tweak some wordpress settings…

Some great responses here – thanks guys! (and ‘hi’ Sue!)

@Trevor May raises the important issue of record keeping because at least with email I can (sometimes painfully!) track down past conversations.

I believe there is an additional challenge with legal/contractual issues around how conversations are recorded – from a relationship as well as court-of-law perspective.
But I don’t know a great deal about this… anyone?

]]> By: James Stewart http://www.theawesomeweb.co.uk/blog/the-end-of-email/comment-page-1/#comment-100 James Stewart Tue, 11 Mar 2008 09:15:22 +0000 http://www.jenny-bee.net/2008/03/07/the-end-of-email/#comment-100 I suspect a lot of it comes down to personal preference. For a long time I was overwhelmed with email and it was of little use, but as I've made progress towards a smaller inbox and a more rigorous process of filing incoming items I find that email is incredibly useful again for certain types of conversations. In particular it works very well when working across timezones. It probably helps that I have all but one of the lists I'm on going to gmail, and checking that is a separate process from reading personal mail. Since Apple Mail introduced RSS support I've moved a few key feeds into that so that updates from tools like basecamp are increasingly email-like, and NetNewsWire becomes something I can check in on less regularly. My hope is that over time email won't die, but our tools for managing it will improve and the population at large will pick up on the fact that we early adopters already grasp which is that we should have the power to direct our input streams to the tools and through the filters that we choose. I like email, so I'll use email software, someone else likes IM so they can easily have a bot that channels their alerts to their IM client. They're all just packets of text, so with the right interfaces re-routing them isn't terribly hard. I suspect a lot of it comes down to personal preference. For a long time I was overwhelmed with email and it was of little use, but as I’ve made progress towards a smaller inbox and a more rigorous process of filing incoming items I find that email is incredibly useful again for certain types of conversations. In particular it works very well when working across timezones.

It probably helps that I have all but one of the lists I’m on going to gmail, and checking that is a separate process from reading personal mail.

Since Apple Mail introduced RSS support I’ve moved a few key feeds into that so that updates from tools like basecamp are increasingly email-like, and NetNewsWire becomes something I can check in on less regularly.

My hope is that over time email won’t die, but our tools for managing it will improve and the population at large will pick up on the fact that we early adopters already grasp which is that we should have the power to direct our input streams to the tools and through the filters that we choose. I like email, so I’ll use email software, someone else likes IM so they can easily have a bot that channels their alerts to their IM client. They’re all just packets of text, so with the right interfaces re-routing them isn’t terribly hard.

]]> By: Nicholas Butler http://www.theawesomeweb.co.uk/blog/the-end-of-email/comment-page-1/#comment-99 Nicholas Butler Fri, 07 Mar 2008 22:55:09 +0000 http://www.jenny-bee.net/2008/03/07/the-end-of-email/#comment-99 Ive spent many many years explaining to clients that Direct Email marketing is not as efficient as a Good Blog/Website/RSS feed Only recently have they begin feeling stressed with email enough to begin asking the question. How do I get my inbox cleared down. On inspection they collect so much notification ( Bacn ) cruft that removing this and teaching them to not top post and to not include messages in a reply has dramatically improved their relationships with email. This is one that will change for many many more and Im glad to see others considering it as well. Ive spent many many years explaining to clients that Direct Email marketing is not as efficient as a Good Blog/Website/RSS feed Only recently have they begin feeling stressed with email enough to begin asking the question. How do I get my inbox cleared down. On inspection they collect so much notification ( Bacn ) cruft that removing this and teaching them to not top post and to not include messages in a reply has dramatically improved their relationships with email.

This is one that will change for many many more and Im glad to see others considering it as well.

]]> By: Trevor May http://www.theawesomeweb.co.uk/blog/the-end-of-email/comment-page-1/#comment-98 Trevor May Fri, 07 Mar 2008 15:53:30 +0000 http://www.jenny-bee.net/2008/03/07/the-end-of-email/#comment-98 One thing I still need email for is receipts for purchases. I'm such a disorganised type that being able to go back and find a receipt for something I've ordered online in my mailbox is something I couldn't live without. I'm sure we could get rid of that problem, though, by linking online purchases to a openID account in some way (or something like it) and having everything stored there, centralised... Hmm... *ponders* I guess if I bought *everything* through Paypal that'd kind of do the same thing... but why would I want to do that? :) One thing I still need email for is receipts for purchases. I’m such a disorganised type that being able to go back and find a receipt for something I’ve ordered online in my mailbox is something I couldn’t live without.

I’m sure we could get rid of that problem, though, by linking online purchases to a openID account in some way (or something like it) and having everything stored there, centralised… Hmm… *ponders*

I guess if I bought *everything* through Paypal that’d kind of do the same thing… but why would I want to do that? :)

]]> By: Jenny http://www.theawesomeweb.co.uk/blog/the-end-of-email/comment-page-1/#comment-97 Jenny Fri, 07 Mar 2008 15:23:37 +0000 http://www.jenny-bee.net/2008/03/07/the-end-of-email/#comment-97 I think we must be (ahead of the curve)! I get the impression 'digital natives' (young folk) tend to use chat and social networks to communicate with pals more than they use email. Be interesting to see what happens when they join the workforce. I think we must be (ahead of the curve)!

I get the impression ‘digital natives’ (young folk) tend to use chat and social networks to communicate with pals more than they use email. Be interesting to see what happens when they join the workforce.

]]> By: Simon Dickson http://www.theawesomeweb.co.uk/blog/the-end-of-email/comment-page-1/#comment-96 Simon Dickson Fri, 07 Mar 2008 14:12:01 +0000 http://www.jenny-bee.net/2008/03/07/the-end-of-email/#comment-96 Hear hear! I've cut w-a-y back on my email usage. Basically, if there's an alternative, I go for it. (Usually RSS.) Although if you talk to a lot of clients, or even gurus like Tom Steinberg, they'll tell you there's still life in the old dog yet. Maybe we're just ahead of the curve. Hear hear! I’ve cut w-a-y back on my email usage. Basically, if there’s an alternative, I go for it. (Usually RSS.) Although if you talk to a lot of clients, or even gurus like Tom Steinberg, they’ll tell you there’s still life in the old dog yet. Maybe we’re just ahead of the curve.

]]> By: Sue Massey http://www.theawesomeweb.co.uk/blog/the-end-of-email/comment-page-1/#comment-95 Sue Massey Fri, 07 Mar 2008 13:46:50 +0000 http://www.jenny-bee.net/2008/03/07/the-end-of-email/#comment-95 I found your site on google blog search and read a few of your other posts. Keep up the good work. Just added your RSS feed to my feed reader. Look forward to reading more from you. - Sue. I found your site on google blog search and read a few of your other posts. Keep up the good work. Just added your RSS feed to my feed reader. Look forward to reading more from you.

- Sue.

]]> By: Tim Beadle http://www.theawesomeweb.co.uk/blog/the-end-of-email/comment-page-1/#comment-94 Tim Beadle Fri, 07 Mar 2008 13:27:22 +0000 http://www.jenny-bee.net/2008/03/07/the-end-of-email/#comment-94 There's a certain amount of generationality about it; I tried to impress upon a fairly senior member of staff (in his 40s, I think) how useful and key RSS is, but his email client was utterly central to his working day. Having to open yet another program just wouldn't cut it for him. I think all the Inbox Zero stuff is hitting the mainstream, though. Alpha geeks have known for a while that email has its limits, but it takes time to percolate through to, say, BBC News. Now there will probably be a backlash against the email backlash :) There’s a certain amount of generationality about it; I tried to impress upon a fairly senior member of staff (in his 40s, I think) how useful and key RSS is, but his email client was utterly central to his working day. Having to open yet another program just wouldn’t cut it for him.

I think all the Inbox Zero stuff is hitting the mainstream, though. Alpha geeks have known for a while that email has its limits, but it takes time to percolate through to, say, BBC News.

Now there will probably be a backlash against the email backlash :)

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