Sept 16

Managing E-Mail Effectively
Sun Review September 16, 2000

As Internet connectivity increases both at work and at home, the number of e-mail messages exchanged is rapidly multiplying. If you're like most people, you have to deal with an average of 36 e-mail messages a day, most of which are probably spam (unsolicited e-mail that usually attempts to sell you something). Internet statistics corporation IDC predicts that the number of worldwide e-mail messages sent on an average day will grow from 5 billion in 1999 to 18 billion in 2003.

If you're not sure how to manage e-mail effectively, you're probably wasting time just trying to keep up instead of gaining productivity through technology. Bob Thompson of Performance Coaching Group in Kelowna offers several tactics for effective e-mail management:

1. Treat e-mail like regular mail. Don't check your e-mail each time a new message comes in. Instead, check your e-mail at regular intervals throughout the day so you can take control of your e-mail and your time. Delete the junk, or respond immediately to those that require your attention.

2. Create short answers to reduce the length and frequency of messages you receive. It is acceptable to send back a message that simply reads "Done" or "Thanks".

3. Delete diligently. Most people save too many e-mails, so either delete messages as soon as you have responded to them, or if you want to save something, transfer it to a folder.

4. Use an auto-reply. People may assume that you've received and read urgent messages when in fact you're not even in the office. You can use an auto-reply or auto-responder that automatically bounces a message back to tell people you are out of the office.

5. Take control of your in-box. Subscribe to e-mail services selectively to reduce the amount of e-mail you receive. Ask friends or colleagues who frequently send lame jokes or huge files to stop. You may even consider obtaining a separate e-mail address for personal communication or one that you give only to your key contacts, similar to an unlisted phone number.

So how does spam originate and how can we stop it? Simple spam is sent from the same computer with a correct sending address. Severe spam originates from more than one hijacked server, sent to thousands of list recipients at a time. E-mail lists can be purchased for pennies an address. Chances are you've probably received spam that entices you to purchase these lists! Once you've made it on to a list, replying to an e-mail and asking to be removed from the list won't get you anywhere. Try using SpamCop (spamcop.net) to help notify the network administrator of the guilty party who just spammed you.

If you use Yahoo's e-mail, the good news is that Yahoo (www.yahoo.com) automatically filters your incoming mail and transfers spam straight to a junk mail folder on your account. Just make sure you check this folder every so often to make sure it didn't filter out something important.

You can also create your own filtering techniques using free e-mail software such as Outlook Express or Eudora (www.eudora.com). Start by analyzing all the spam messages you receive in one week's time. Look for common words in the subject line, usually attention grabbers such as free, XXX, $$$, hardcore, sex, etc. Now set up an e-mail filter to automatically send messages with those words in the subject line to a junk mail folder. This process varies slightly with each e-mail program, so make sure you check the Help file first.