e-mail overload

[Tkachenko Inga]

Email is one of the most successful computer applications yet devised.
Our empirical data show however, that although email was originally
designed as a communications application, it is now being used for
additional functions that it was not designed for, such as task
management and personal archiving. It is called email overload. It is
demonstrated that email overload creates problems for personal
information management: users often have cluttered inboxes containing
hundreds of messages, including outstanding tasks, partially read
documents and conversational threads. Furthermore, user attempts to
rationalize their inboxes by filing are often unsuccessful, with the
consequence that important messages get overlooked, or "lost" in
archives.

[Jason chan]

Post by Tkachenko Inga
Email is one of the most successful computer applications yet devised.
Our empirical data show however, that although email was originally
designed as a communications application, it is now being used for
additional functions that it was not designed for, such as task
management and personal archiving. It is called email overload. It is
demonstrated that email overload creates problems for personal
information management: users often have cluttered inboxes containing
hundreds of messages, including outstanding tasks, partially read
documents and conversational threads. Furthermore, user attempts to
rationalize their inboxes by filing are often unsuccessful, with the
consequence that important messages get overlooked, or "lost" in
archives.

I think there is good and bad side for e-mail. The problem are cause by
the people who do not use the e-mail properly. After all, i think e-mail
is very useful.

[Sara Mai]

Post by Tkachenko Inga
Email is one of the most successful computer applications yet devised.
Our empirical data show however, that although email was originally
designed as a communications application, it is now being used for
additional functions that it was not designed for, such as task
management and personal archiving. It is called email overload. It is
demonstrated that email overload creates problems for personal
information management: users often have cluttered inboxes containing
hundreds of messages, including outstanding tasks, partially read
documents and conversational threads. Furthermore, user attempts to
rationalize their inboxes by filing are often unsuccessful, with the
consequence that important messages get overlooked, or "lost" in
archives.

I actually like the idea of email overloaded because it puts most of the
functions that you would need to get from several different applications
and combines it into one. I think it is a much more convenient approach
to getting things done.

[David Phan]

I think today's problem with e-mail is similar to the problem with
regular mail. Before e-mail, people always get junk mail when they open
their mailbox.

Although there is still the junk mail for regular mail, there is a
solution, telling the company to scratch you off the mailing list.

There might be a problem with this solution if you apply it to e-mail,
some companies might use this as a way to verify an active e-mail
account (if you click on a link that "removes" you from the mailing
list).

There is also another solution, to have a "passphrase" or password in
the e-mail's subject heading so that all you have to do is have a person
enter that word in the subject heading so the important e-mail doesn't
get lost and can be easily identified from the junk that might be hiding
it.