Email or Egad?

Don Knuth, renowned computer scientist, author, Professor Emeritus at Stanford University and the "father" of algorithms analysis, did a very brave thing on Jan. 1, 1990.

About 100 times a week I, too, have felt a similar urge to give up email. First of all, there's the spam problem. Unscrupulous people, by means of the ominous sounding Email Harvesting Robots, look for the @ symbol to foul up your life.

There is no doubt that email is addictive; more Americans are using portable devices to check their email all day and all night. Fifty-three percent of surveyed email users claim they check their mail in the bathroom. 83% of email users admit to checking their mail once a day while vacationing.

There is also no doubt that email eliminates social contact. In order to keep my people skills honed, I have forced myself to walk, sometimes as far as 15 feet, to interact with a person, instead of emailing them. So I can read their body language, see their expression and sense what they really mean. Which sometimes isn't a good thing.

I have also dialed, in lieu of sending an email, and found that to be okay, except when you can't get that person off the phone. And this enormous long-distance bill comes as a result.

It does mean a lot when I get an actual letter from someone, who has taken the time to actually write on real paper. Of course, since email has ruined our penmanship, I can't read it anyway. Whereas, if I am solicited by email, I will use my domain and URL blocking services to eliminate future contact. None of which work.

Nevertheless, I try, at least, to enforce a few email rules.

I do try to limit checking email. Although I've found that if you don't check it one day, it sorts of mounts up and you have to deal with it anyway.

I never read an email, with URGENT in the subject line.

If I get an email with a baby picture attached, I wait at least three days before saying the obligatory "adorable."

I don't answer emails when I am on the CC line, since I figure if they want my full attention, I'll be on the top line.

I immediately delete any email sent to more than 30 people. If someone sends me a very long email, I'll try to discourage future practice with a short response. But then I have to weigh the response, with getting a career phone call, from the ominously long-winded writer.

Clearly, learning to live with email is a complicated business. Feel free to, well, email me at the Eye, with your take.

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2 Members’ Opinions

March 03, 2008 7:22 AM
Heiress said...

Reply as quickly as possible, short sentences, keep in-box clean...

Email only really needs to be checked once per day; less often on vacation of course (unless vacation is away from a family member).

That's what Heiress thinks...;)

March 03, 2008 9:50 AM

I agree, heiresses need not be a slave to email. If a lawyer has a trust fund matter, they can use the phone.

But, alas, for the rest of us...