Has email changed today from the information age to the too-much-information age? With 84 million emails sent worldwide each day, you might think it has.
The days of an instant reply to your message are gone. The recipient has 50 or 60 other messages in line before yours, and unless the tag line is fascinating, your message could be deleted along with many others. Or it could be sent to a folder to be reviewed later.
Of course, if you ask two questions in an email, you are likely to get an answer to just one, the question you care about least.
One systems administrator says if you ask multiple people a question in an email, often nobody responds.
Telephones are looking more convenient than ever. When you reach your party, the information you exchange could help you avoid several email exchanges.
It’s true that you could be directed to voice mail, but once there, the number of calls will be far fewer than the email queue. And the sound of your voice can indicate the importance of the call.
One problem with email is that people love to use it themselves, but they resent it in the hands of CC addicts, joke forwarders, and URL pushers.
Email is here to stay, but sometimes you can save time by seeing a person face-to-face or calling on the phone.