With the post office carrying less and less mail, the almost disappearance of 'fax' communications and the universal unpopularity of voicemail systems we are all experiencing an increase, almost daily, in the amount of email we receive. And there is a tendency to react to it immediately you find it whether it be business related or private. As an ex-IT manager I know this can lead to nightmares for the administration of such email systems as well as the poor user receiving it who ends up being pulled from pillar to post by it.
This book was written to support workshops that Bob O'Hare runs but equally tries to stand on it's own. The courses are tailored for their individual audience and the book has to try to be more universal to cover the general subject.
I worked in a culture that used email instead of answerphones so you could return to your desk to an email saying 'Please phone your boss as soon as you get back'. It was also a very customer-centric organisation so if you got an email from a customer you immediately assessed what action to take and ensured the ball was in motion. In view of this I started reading in a very negative attitude as it starts talking about only checking your mail a few times a day, but I read on regardless and kept as open a mind as I could. As I read on, the nature of the book became apparent and it started to explain how some of the rules should be 'flexed' by different roles in email usage. It then started to suggest actions I found very controversial, like keeping your inbox empty! Reading on once again and keeping an open mind I started to realise that there was a great deal of sense to what was being said.
I came to the conclusion that there were things that anyone can learn from this book if they have email issues and are prepared to keep an open mind while reading it!
Genre - Non-fiction, Computing
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Thank you Mole for your open and honest review. My best to you. Bob
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