TresSugar

Where Do You Stand? We-Mail

DearSugar — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 06:00:00 PST

I'm sure you've all heard of we-mail by now, but if you're unfamiliar with the term, it's simply a shared email address couples use in lieu of individual ones. While the idea is kind of cute, it makes it almost impossible to have a confidential conversation with someone besides your significant other. Sure, it's great for making plans, paying bills, and coordinating work events, but I'd take privacy over convenience any day of the week.

We-mail seems to be catching on fast, so tell me, where do you stand on sharing an email address with your significant other?

Source

WTF?!

GiggleSugar — Mon, 28 Jan 2008 15:00:00 PST

It's like MySpace: AT&T wants to look popular, so they maintain a long email list of "friends," whom they never correspond with. It's so tenth grade.

Source

Handle This: Mixing Business With Pleasure

DearSugar — Tue, 04 Dec 2007 08:00:00 PST

Welcome to DearSugar's new feature: Handle This. I'm going to give you a hypothetical scenario and ask you to tell me how you would handle it in the comments below. Let's give it a whirl.

You have had a crush on your co-worker ever since you started working for the company six months ago. He was in a serious relationship, but you found out they broke up over the Thanksgiving weekend. Your group of friends at work know about your crush and are all for you two hooking up now that he is single.

You just received a flirtatious e-mail from him, and you forwarded it to the girls to get their input on what you should write back. Just as you hit send, your stomach turned - you hit reply instead of forward! Your crush was the one that got the e-mail, not your friends. Once you get a grasp of what you just did, tell me how you would handle outing yourself to your work crush?

Source

What Do You Think About Shared E-Mail Accounts?

GeekSugar — Wed, 03 Oct 2007 08:00:52 PDT

Last week my mother forwarded me a message from a woman who is a friend of our family and I realized she has a joint e-mail account with her husband. That is to say, her e-mail was her name, plus her husband's name, plus their last name. The address made me question their autonomy and wonder why two smart, independent people would create a joint e-mail account.

While I honestly don't have anything to hide, I can't ever imagine sharing an e-mail address with my husband. I mean, can't our friends just CC us? I tried to consider the fact that people send snail mail to couples all the time, but the fact that you have to sign in to get e-mail makes it seem more personal. What do you think, are shared e-mail accounts cute or strange?

Source

Do You Know Your E-mail History?

GeekSugar — Mon, 13 Aug 2007 08:00:09 PDT

Most of us send at least twenty e-mails a day and receive more forwards, notes from friends, work related documents and even inappropriate innuendos than we want to admit, but how much do we know about e-mail history and how e-mail actually works?

Source

Take the Quiz

Top 10 Most E-Mail Addicted Cities In The US

GeekSugar — Mon, 30 Jul 2007 11:00:34 PDT

The folks over at Switched inform me that AOL just completed a massive survey on e-mail usage throughout the United States, which polled residents of the country's top 20 markets. The results? While teens may think e-mail is so 1999, there are many adults (and teens) who are in need of a little e-mail detox. America's top 10 e-mail addicted cities are:

Washington DC - This year, our nation's capital was the most e-mail addicted city in the country. More than eight in ten Washington users (82 percent) have multiple e-mail accounts and four in 10 DC residents say they keep a PDA by their pillow when sleeping to listen for late-night emails, while 58 percent of city residents fessed up to checking e-mail with a portable device while sitting on the toilet.
Atlanta - Atlanta ranks as the second most e-mail addicted city in the survey, making a dramatic jump from 12th place last year.
New York - The number of New Yorkers who check their work e-mail over a typical weekend rose to more than 70 percent this year, while 24 pecent of New Yorkers think they are addicted to e-mail.
San Francisco - San Francisco won the top spot in last year's email addiction survey, but this year slipped to number four.
Houston - For the third year in a row, Houston has made the top five. Residents are checking their PDAs in some pretty interesting places too. 53 percent admit to checking their email in the bathroom.

The rest of the list is Los Angele, Seattle, Orlando, Denver and Miami. Do you agree with the list?

Source

The How-To Lounge: Coping with Excessive E-mail

DearSugar — Mon, 30 Jul 2007 10:00:00 PDT

In this technical day and age, e-mail is a part of our everyday life. We are so married to our e-mail that every new phone has the ability to be wireless so everyone can stay connected even if they are away from their desks. But with so many e-mails inundating your inbox, it's hard to keep your head screwed on straight. Below are some tips to help you stay afloat when your e-mail inbox is overflowing with messages.

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According to new research, the average Outlook business user receives 470 e-mails a week and spends 15 hours dealing with them. Predictions state that by 2009, workers will spend 41 percent of their time reading and responding to e-mails -- so when are you supposed to do your day job?
It's pretty clear that we all receive entirely too much e-mail, so take the appropriate steps to weed out unnecessary messages. Take your name off distribution mailing lists from stores, news updates, concert updates, etc.
If you haven't already, have your IT department set up a spam block so you don't get bogged down with junk mail
Limit the number of e-mail accounts you have active. It's recommended to have one business account and one personal account. The more accounts you have, the more spam and junk mail you will receive
Create a method when going through your e-mails. Some people think it's easier to flag important messages and deal with them later while others like to read each e-mail only once, deal with it, and delete it or file it away, never to be looked at again. Whatever system works for you, stick to it. Organization is key
When it comes to e-mail etiquette, less is more. You're not alone if you feel overwhelmed by your inbox, so try to send the least amount of e-mails as possible, and be respectful of who you CC
Many times people respond back to a rhetorical e-mail just to confirm to you that they received it. If you don't need the confirmation, add a notation at the bottom of the message, NRN, standing for No Response Needed
The e-mails are going to keep coming, so trying to constantly stay on top of them is close to impossible. Give yourself a break, turn off your BlackBerry every once in a while, turn your out of office on if you need the silence in order to get your work done, and when you go on vacation, go on vacation!

I hope these tips are helpful, and like always, if you have any other suggestions, please share them in the comments below! Source

22 Pop = Typewriter That Sends E-mail

GeekSugar — Sat, 28 Jul 2007 08:01:30 PDT

Forget teaching your Luddite relative to use a computer - maybe you should just transform their low tech device into something more high tech. The 22 Pop is a modified typewriter that can send e-mails. It's called ‘22’ because of the Olivetti typewriter classic, Lettera 22 it is modeled on; ‘pop’ as a reference to the email protocol used. How does it work? An ordinary Lettera 22 is embedded in the device, which enables any letter that is typed, to be sent as an email.

The idea for the project was inspired by the creator's mother, who suffered great frustration with e-mail and using a computer. Here's more:

She simply cannot relate to scroll bars, the mouse, control keys and so on. To explain to her that emailing can be as easy as writing a letter, I decided to make for her a typewriter that sends email. It is a regular portable typewriter, which has concealed electronics that automatically sends the typed letter as an email to the intended person when the letter is finished and pulled out of the machine's carriage.

For a full run down on the process of turning the typewriter into an e-mail capable device, check out the creator's website. For additional images, read more

View 5 Photos ›

Source: Gizmodo

Dear Poll: Do you Use your Work E-Mail to Engage in Less than Professional Banter?

DearSugar — Fri, 13 Jul 2007 16:00:00 PDT

These days, working professionals are spending more time behind their desks than with their loved ones. With that said, communicating with the opposite sex over the internet is the easiest way to date, make plans, get caught up, and even simply flirt. I think we can all agree that it makes your day fly by when you carry on some fun, playful banter with your new crush -- but what about engaging in unprofessional conversations over your work e-mail? We all know every keystroke you make on your work computer is recorded, but what I want to know is, do you still engage in less than professional conversation over company e-mail?

Source

The How-to Lounge: E-Mail Etiquette

DearSugar — Thu, 17 May 2007 09:45:00 PDT

The digital age has completely taken over and e-mail has become many people's main way of communication. While it is a great way to correspond, it is very easy to misconstrue voice, tone, and implication when you can't look or hear the person on the other end of the message. In this How-to Lounge, I am going to give you some pointers to help avoid misinterpreting e-mails.

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Be concise and to the point. You don't want your e-mails to go on too long or else they won't be read. On the flip side, don't be too short or your message could be perceived as rude or impolite
If you are returning an e-mail, make sure you answer all the questions being asked, and ask the appropriate questions if need be
Always be sure to check your spelling and punctuation. Carelessness is very unprofessional
While it is impossible to promptly answer every e-mail, all messages should be returned within 24 hours
For business e-mails, address your recipient and sign accordingly
Always include the original message in a response. Oftentimes it is crucial to read the entire e-mail chain
Be sure to re-read your message before sending and avoid using capital letters as it will translate as yelling
Know your audience and avoid using punctuation, web lingo and emoticons to those who will not understand what you are trying to say
Do not abuse reply all or blind copying. People are inundated with e-mails, so the least amount of messages they receive, the more inclined they will be to reply in a timely manor
Remember that e-mail is never 100% private. While it is fun to flirt, gossip and make plans over e-mail, be aware that your correspondence is considered company property

It's hard to believe we were once, not that long ago, without e-mails, so while they are a terrific way to communicate, make sure not to use your keypad as an excuse to avoid personal contact! Source