Here is one more e-mail to your in-box. They keep coming and coming with no secretary to sort out the mess. The bloated e-mail is all in one in-box without categories or priorities. Of course, e-mail can sort to special folders, but that is extra work. Or you can also filter out e-mail at the source that you never see it again.
Some companies have gotten over the problem of cluttered e-mail by using a web-based solution, which also keeps out unwanted e-mail. Say, a country program proposal could send to a dedicated website. Authorized users get login names and passwords. This can be a public website like Typepad or private on the organization’s Intranet.
As an alternative to sending large attachments by e-mail, the website is the storage center. Instead of participants to a project sending e-mail comments, they can post their comments on the website. The website will then always have one version of a document (country program, budget proposal, etc.) instead of multiple copies floating around. Into The Wild Blog Yonder is a great illustration how Boeing took the heat on blogs and used it to connect with employees, customers and the public instead of using e-mail.
I am sure, UNICEF web-mail has gotten to a point that you can assign an area for certain projects of a limited time. For instance, Typepad technology (and similar web logs) fit perfectly into this model. For instance, the fact that I do not send articles to your PC’s hard-drive is not only helping in reducing clutter but also provides only one version for view. Another way to sort out the e-mail clutter is for UNICEF to come-up with categories and sub-category subjects that drafters must pick when writing an e-mail. One other format not seen prevalent in e-mail programs is the sorting of read e-mail. When someone reads an e-mail a prompt must appear for ‘save for reply” or just “save & file”. In that way, e-mails that need a response will be sitting in the “not-replied folder.” Read e-mail or replied e-mail move to an "outbox" folder.
Reference: Missed messages – As complaints about e-mail mount, some companies look for new ways to communicate. WSJ 5/8/2006.
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