Jesse Wilkins ARMA Chattanooga Chapter February 12, 2008 Managing Your Email – By Managing Less of It!

Agenda Defining the issue Reducing email usage pt 1: the techniques Reducing email usage pt 2: the tools

Defining the issue

Reducing email usage pt 1: the techniques

Reducing email usage pt 2: the tools

Email – defining the issue First email was sent in 1971 Today more email is sent every day than the USPS delivers in a year 11 billion emails sent per day in the US alone More than 57 billion per day sent world-wide 133 messages sent/received per corporate user 60% or more of business-critical information is stored within messaging systems

First email was sent in 1971

Today more email is sent every day than the USPS delivers in a year

11 billion emails sent per day in the US alone

More than 57 billion per day sent world-wide

133 messages sent/received per corporate user

60% or more of business-critical information is stored within messaging systems

Email – the 50,000 ft. view Why are we sending so much email? It’s easy It’s nearly instantaneous It’s less formal It’s asynchronous It’s convenient

Why are we sending so much email?

It’s easy

It’s nearly instantaneous

It’s less formal

It’s asynchronous

It’s convenient

Email management through quotas Used to limit the storage space in each user’s mailbox Example: Users limited to 125 MB total storage Or used to delete email automatically after certain period of time Example: All messages in the inbox deleted after 90 days

Used to limit the storage space in each user’s mailbox

Example: Users limited to 125 MB total storage

Or used to delete email automatically after certain period of time

Example: All messages in the inbox deleted after 90 days

Mailbox quota issues Users often try to circumvent quotas Save messages to .PST, .NSF files Move messages out of mailbox Forward messages to personal accounts Delete messages by size rather than importance All users may not be subject to quotas

Users often try to circumvent quotas

Save messages to .PST, .NSF files

Move messages out of mailbox

Forward messages to personal accounts

Delete messages by size rather than importance

All users may not be subject to quotas

Other email management approaches Do nothing Let users do what they want Keep everything forever

Do nothing

Let users do what they want

Keep everything forever

THE TECHNIQUES Reducing email usage pt 1:

Reducing email usage pt 1:

Common inbox assumptions All email is important All email requires an immediate response All email should be kept indefinitely These assumptions are frequently not true

All email is important

All email requires an immediate response

All email should be kept indefinitely

These assumptions are frequently not true

General principles Email management is part of time management Email should not be used for everything Email should be kept as long as needed – and then gotten rid of

Email management is part of time management

Email should not be used for everything

Email should be kept as long as needed – and then gotten rid of

Inbox management model Set up rules for “important” vs. routine messages Turn off incoming message alerts Set specific times to check email

Set up rules for “important” vs. routine messages

Turn off incoming message alerts

Set specific times to check email

Inbox management cont’d Try to touch each message only once Respond to it immediately Respond to it later Declare it as a record Archive it for reference Delete it

Try to touch each message only once

Respond to it immediately

Respond to it later

Declare it as a record

Archive it for reference

Delete it

Reducing received emails Lots of email traffic is stuff we ask for! Some is internal, but unnecessary “ Colleague spam” Ask others not to send it if you don’t need it

Lots of email traffic is stuff we ask for!

Some is internal, but unnecessary

“ Colleague spam”

Ask others not to send it if you don’t need it

Reducing sent emails Do you really have to reply? Don’t send “Me too” messages Use other tools for collaboration About staying “off the record”

Do you really have to reply?

Don’t send “Me too” messages

Use other tools for collaboration

About staying “off the record”

Cc: and Bcc: Can be useful, but often overused Perceived to provide accountability Better practice: use them only when really needed Especially BCC: as these are harder to track

Can be useful, but often overused

Perceived to provide accountability

Better practice: use them only when really needed

Especially BCC: as these are harder to track

Effective email usage – addressees Verify addressee(s) When replying, reply only to those who need a response Remove those who don’t Watch responses to groups, lists Reply-to vs. reply-all

Verify addressee(s)

When replying, reply only to those who need a response

Remove those who don’t

Watch responses to groups, lists

Reply-to vs. reply-all

Effective email usage – subject line Use a subject line Use correct subject line for topic being discussed Use subject lines that are informative

Use a subject line

Use correct subject line for topic being discussed

Use subject lines that are informative

Effective email usage – subject line Identify whether response is required Consider using subject line as content Don’t declare privilege

Identify whether response is required

Consider using subject line as content

Don’t declare privilege

Effective email usage - body Use professional tone in messages Threading: Message vs. response Don’t write essays where notes will do

Use professional tone in messages

Threading: Message vs. response

Don’t write essays where notes will do

Effective email usage - attachments Consider the file size of the attachment to be sent Consider the file type to be sent Security filtering Multimedia formats

Consider the file size of the attachment to be sent

Consider the file type to be sent

Security filtering

Multimedia formats

Effective email usage - attachments Can the recipient receive attachments? Send attachments only to users that truly need them Send links instead of attachments

Can the recipient receive

attachments?

Send attachments only to users that truly need them

Send links instead of attachments

THE TOOLS Reducing email usage pt 2:

Reducing email usage pt 2:

Alternatives to email Email isn’t the best tool to collaborate Other more effective tools available Blogs RSS feeds Wikis Using these tools can reduce email usage and increase productivity

Email isn’t the best tool to collaborate

Other more effective tools available

Blogs

RSS feeds

Wikis

Using these tools can reduce email usage and increase productivity

What is a blog? Simple web publishing platform Started as online diaries Users create posts Posts listed newest at the top Often used as lightweight content mgmt system

Simple web publishing platform

Started as online diaries

Users create posts

Posts listed newest at the top

Often used as lightweight

content mgmt system

Blogs vs. email Use blogs instead of email to send one-way communications Project updates Meeting announcements Availability of new resources

Use blogs instead of email to send one-way communications

Project updates

Meeting announcements

Availability of new resources

What is an RSS feed? Specially formatted XML file Used to send information from a website Users subscribe to the RSS feed with a reader Changes are pushed out to the user automatically

Specially formatted XML file

Used to send information from a website

Users subscribe to the RSS feed with a reader

Changes are pushed out to the user automatically

RSS feeds and email Blogs and wikis support RSS Instead of sending email blasts, post updates to a blog Updates show up in the reader No updates, no need to send Users can get updates when convenient

Blogs and wikis support RSS

Instead of sending email blasts, post updates to a blog

Updates show up in the reader

No updates, no need to send

Users can get updates when convenient

What is a wiki? Collaborative website Wikipedia: 2,100,000+ articles Users create and edit articles Changes tracked automatically

Collaborative website

Wikipedia: 2,100,000+ articles

Users create and edit articles

Changes tracked automatically

Wikis vs. email Create an article for the document Give users access to document Users make changes directly Users leave questions, comments Editor oversees, does cleanup Document published at the end of the process

Create an article for the document

Give users access to document

Users make changes directly

Users leave questions, comments

Editor oversees, does cleanup

Document published at the end

of the process

Summary Everyone is swamped with email There are things we can do to reduce the amount of email we send and receive Less email means less to manage More effective use of email helps, too

Everyone is swamped with email

There are things we can do to reduce the amount of email we send and receive

Less email means less to manage

More effective use of email helps, too

For more information Jesse Wilkins, CDIA+, LIT, erm m , ecm m Principal Consultant Access Sciences Corporation [email_address] (303) 574-1455 direct

Jesse Wilkins, CDIA+, LIT, erm m , ecm m

Principal Consultant

Access Sciences Corporation

[email_address]

(303) 574-1455 direct