Best sites for creating a disposable email address

As stated in the article below, a person's email becomes less and less private almost every day. Just think of this holiday season and how many times you have added your email to a vendor, list, checkout or anything involving communications interaction. It adds up in a hurry. So there are naturally some solutions which address this situation. It is assumed that all of this advice is given for only the most ethical reasons.

 

 

 

 

 

 

By Brandon Widder —   Digital Trends - December 18, 2013

 

Not every program and service advertised as “free” may come with a $20 price tag or a meager free trial, but they undoubtedly come at a price: your oh-so-precious email address and trust.

Nowadays, anything and everything you register for — from online forums and shopping sites to services and application downloads — requires you to hand over a valid email address in order access the product or site’s particular set of features. It’s certainly not the most demanding criteria you’re likely to encounter during said registration, but it’s likely the most common and the biggest nuisance of them all once your inbox becomes flooded with an abundance of spam you didn’t intend to receive. I know I’ve certainly received my fair share of peculiar emails while signing up for the hodgepodge of utilities I test on behalf of Digital Trends. Trust me, Viagra is only the beginning.

Fortunately, disposable email addresses have been around for years, providing a convenient and free solution to those sticky situations that render you hesitant to give out your real email address. Although each service will supply you with a fake and temporary address capable of being dished out like hot cakes to whomever you’d like, the bulk of them differ in terms of hallmark features and simple utilities that set them apart from one another. For instance, some may require you to read email within a Webinterface while others will merely forward them to your actual inbox.

Here are our picks for the best sites for creating a disposable email address so you can remain anonymous and abstain from an inbox burgeoning with advertisements for male enhancers, online degrees, and whatever else you probably don’t need in your life right now (or ever).

Non-forwarding disposable email services

GuerrillaMail

While technically disposable, GuerrillaMail email addresses are also timeless. Each address can be tailored using one of nine different domain names and a custom inbox ID, much like a standard email address, making address options virtually limitless whether you rely on domain names like “sharklasers.com” or “guerrillamail.net.” Although the email address you choose at GuerrillaMail will never actually expire, recently-received emails that appear in your email inbox will automatically be deleted within an hour regardless if they’ve been viewed or not. Additional tools for encrypting your inbox ID and filtering unwanted spam is also built into the software, as is a simple email composer and capable of sending attachments up to 150 MB with little fanfare.

When Mailinator boasts it’s “a different kind of email service on its site,” it’s not kidding around. The free service is a unique service on the Web, essentially offering a public address owned and accessible by anyone with an Internet connection. Instead of relying on a signup process or built-in creator like other services on our roundup, Mailinator creates an account for whatever email address you use as soon as a email arrives for that address. For instance, if you register for a service with the address “boondocks@mailinator.com”, the site will create an account for that particular address if one doesn’t exist already. Afterward, you can simple navigate to the Mailinator’s homepage and type in your inbox of choice — as can anyone else since the inbox lacks any sort of password protection. Also, although emails are deleted from the system after a few hours, email addresses will remain intact indefinitely. However, keep in mind many mainstream sites like Facebook already block the well-known domain.

10 Minute Mail

Ten minutes isn’t a lot of time, but it’s often more than enough to hand out your disposable email address to the masses. Ten Minute Mail isn’t swimming with features — it won’t even let you create your own custom address — but it instead revels in simplicity. Once you arrive at the site’s homepage, it will provide you with an auto-generated email address that will expire after 10 minutes unless you opt for an additional 10 minutes using the short link below your given email address. Additionally, there are various inbox settings located at the bottom of the page for viewing messages and a link above your given email address for quickly copying the address to your clipboard. It doesn’t boast a highly-robust interface or tool set, but services for creating throwaway emails rarely need to.

Fake Inbox

With an accompanying domain name like “fakeinbox.com”, the basic site clearly has nothing to hide. Users can choose either an auto-generated or custom username, but each will expire once the 60-minute doomsday clock at the bottom of the page hits zero. However, there are options for refreshing the email address’ lifespan and instantly deleting it, and the site offers the ability to read as well as reply to any email you receive within the dark interface. Note that the site does come with a few banner ads you want to avoid clicking like most email services, but other than that, our qualms are few and far in between.
Air Mail

Using a disposable email service doesn’t necessarily mean you have to sacrifice the well-known comforts of traditional email. Air Mail is a perfect case in point, a disposable email service that offers several perks often reserved for more comprehensive email clients. The site will auto-generate an email address upon your arrival, as well as begin checking for messages every 10 seconds, but you can always cycle through the email addresses until you find one with a username and domain you prefer. Incoming emails are displayed within the classic interface and accompanied by an alert notification, and you can continually access the inbox by returning to the site using the same browser or your private inbox URL on another machine. The email address will also remain valid as long as you keep your browser window active, only disappearing after 24 hours of inactivity, and Air Mail claims to hide your IP address from the sender to prevent third-party theft of information.

Forwarding disposable email services

Melt Mail

Melt Mail isn’t revolutionary in terms of features and utilities, but it’s yet another tried-and-true service took tuck away within your tool belt. Upon accessing the site’s homepage, users will be prompted to enter the real email address they would like their email forwarded to, as well as select the duration of the forwarding service. Afterward, the site will provide a temporary email address and a clock indicating for how long the address will remain valid (i.e. three, six, 12 and 24 hours). The lack of a privacy statement is somewhat concerning — the point of using a disposable email is to avoid giving out your real email — but it’s not a bad solution if you’re looking for an incredibly sleek and straightforward solution for using a disposable email with forwarding capabilities. There’s even a free iOS and Androidapp for creating and saving fake email addresses to your clipboard on the go. 

Easy Trash Mail

Easy Trash Mail takes Melt Mail’s forwarding duration to the next level, albeit with a tan-and-olive interface that’s a bit more clumsy to use. Once users navigate to the site’s homepage, they merely enter their real email address in the text field and select how long they would like the resulting, temporary email to last. Duration options are a little more extensive than others offered on our roundup, from 15 minutes and six hours to two weeks and an entire month, but the email forwarding will cease at the end of the allotted time no matter the amount of time you choose. Again, the service only offers email forwarding from an Easy Trash Mail domain, meaning all emails must be read in your real inbox opposed to a Web interface, but the service will also notify you 10 minutes before the disposable email expires so you can quickly peruse your inbox for any worthwhile message you may have missed.

Trash Mail

Not to be confused with aforementioned Easy Trash Mail, the German-built Trash Mail is a different type of disposable email service — one constructed with Chromeand Mozilla Firefox add-ons in mind. Both the site and add-ons require users to input their real email address for temporary email forwarding, but Trash Mail includes a limited number of forwards in addition to standard options for selecting the life span of the email address. For instance, users can limit the number of forwarded emails to one, 10 or even 10,000 and set the temporary email address’ life span anywhere from one day to 6 months (or indefinite). On top of that, users can personally create the fake email addresses using more than 10 varying domain names, as well as filter incoming emails using a CAPTCHA system and set up automatic notifications informing them when their account has expired. Trash Mail might be overkill for the average user, but the coupled browser add-ons make creating disposable emails on the fly a breeze without having to navigate elsewhere. 


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Great news!

My book is now atop the Amazon Netiquette list. Please go to Amazon and search for "netiquette" . There is a wonderful review from Kirkus as well.

Remember you can subscribe to receiving notifications when new blogs are posted:http://netiquetteiq.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default
 
About Netiquette IQ

My book, "Netiquette IQ - A Comprehensive Guide to Improve, Enhance and Add Power to Your Email" and the Kindle version are now available on Amazon. Please visit my author profile at

amazon.com/author/paulbabicki

#PaulBabicki
#netiquette  
#email
#emailsecurity

If you are interested in email or email security software, please visit:
www.tabularosa.net for many "best of breed products".
 

Even writers make grammar and punctuation errors

In my book, "Netiquette IQ - A Comprehensive Guide to Improve, Enhance and Add Power to Your Email", I mention that even the smartest people can write the worst emails (and vice versa). In reading the article below, this was very well demonstrated. Thus, I am reposting it here. There are great tips here for those who have English as a second language ( or English as a primary language which needs a refresher ).

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Huffington Post 12/18/2013

Are you writing the next "Great American Novel?" According to an oft-quoted 2002 article from The New York Times, 81 percent of Americans believe they have a book in them -- and that they should write it.

It isn't surprising that, in November, more than 300,000 people signed up to write a 50,000-word novel in 30 days for National Novel Writing Month. And because not all novelists-to-be have the time to write a solo-book, Grammarly organized a group of authors to collaborate on one novel. Clocking in at a total of 130,927 unedited words, around 300 writers from 27 countries (and 44 U.S. states) participated in the group writing project -- completing one of the 41,940 successful NaNoWriMo novels produced in November.

As part of the editing process, we ran the text of the group novel through our automated grammar checker to analyze spelling, grammar, and punctuation mistakes. Here are the top seven writing mistakes that our literary luminaries made in the first draft, and that you're probably making in your writing.

Missing comma
While unnecessary commas can turn straightforward sentences into twisting labyrinths of syntactical confusion, missing a critical comma can change the entire meaning of your sentence. Missing commas often mean the difference between politely requesting that your friends continue to have a good time (party on, friends) and actually throwing a soiree on your friends (party on friends).

Run-on sentences
Many writers neglect to use a comma before a coordinating conjunction (and, but, or, etc.) - making their sentences long and confusing. However, run-on sentences are often a stylistic choice for novelists. Ernest Hemingway and William Faulkner both won The Nobel Prize in Literature, yet they are both known for their long, run-on sentences - as is James Joyce. Contemporary writers like Cormac McCarthy and Tim O'Brien also have literary love affairs with the run-on sentence. Would their writing be so beautiful if they didn't?

Comma splice
If you try to use a comma to do the work of a semicolon, you've created a comma splice. Comma splices may sound vaguely dangerous, but all they are is the misuse of a comma to hold two independent clauses together. Independent clauses are complete thoughts consisting of a subject (at its simplest, a noun) and a predicate (at minimum, a verb). If you want to string two independent clauses together you need either a semicolon or a comma plus a coordinating conjunction.

Comma misuse
Two common comma mistakes are as follows:

If you are using the comma in place of parenthesis (as you may very well be) make sure to offset the entire phrase with commas. Or should we say: If you are using the comma in place of parenthesis, as you may very well be, make sure to offset the entire phrase with commas.

Put a comma before and or but when introducing an independent clause. For example: "I wanted to write the novel, but I ran out of time."

Definite vs. Indefinite article use
The is a definite article, and it means you are talking about something specific. A/an are indefinite articles used when you are not talking about something specific. In general, you should introduce something into your writing using an indefinite article - then transition to definite articles in the remainder of the text as readers become familiar with your topic.

Redundant article
When the same articles (a/an and the) could be repeated in the same noun phrase, delete all instances of this article except for the first one. Otherwise, readers may become annoyed by your repetition: "Sam is writing a novel about a car, a cat, a caper."

Missing article
Writers: Make sure that people know which [insert noun here] you are talking about. Do you want to write the "Great American Novel" or a"Great American Novel"? Countable singular nouns typically require an article, so you can use the if you're distinguishing the noun from other things; use a if you're not.

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Great news!

My book is now atop the Amazon Netiquette list. Please go to Amazon and search for "netiquette" . There is a wonderful review from Kirkus as well.

Remember you can subscribe to receiving notifications when new blogs are posted:http://netiquetteiq.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default
 
About Netiquette IQ

My book, "Netiquette IQ - A Comprehensive Guide to Improve, Enhance and Add Power to Your Email" and the Kindle version are now available on Amazon. Please visit my author profile at

amazon.com/author/paulbabicki

#PaulBabicki
#netiquette  
#email
#emailsecurity

If you are interested in email or email security software, please visit:
www.tabularosa.net for many "best of breed products".
 

Resending a wrongly sent email - some Netiquette tips

Today's blog addresses resending messages and sending email where an errant address causes significant damages and an almost irrecoverable damage to a company's reputation.

Resending messages

This method can be a very useful tool.  Often a recipient  has not received or has lost a message.  If you do resend a message and include additional recipients, take the same care and steps as you would when forwarding.  If the original mail was a sender request, make sure to state "second request or "resent" in the reference bar.

Do not gloat about resending a message to prove a point since the original meaning for sending or interpretation for a message may have been misread by the sender.  If you are resending a message which was not received, was lost or needs more information, take proper care that the content is still timely, relevant and complete.  You may need to add more information and if this is the case, add the information separately and be clear as to how and why.  Do not change the original message since it may later be read or compared to the original.

Actions when an email is wrongly sent

Most email users have experienced the heart-sinking feeling in coming to the realization that an email was sent to the wrong person or group.  The emotions can vary from mild embarrassment or irritation to full-scale panic.  Similarly, ramifications might be the wrongful recipient not having a second thought, being slightly annoyed to experiencing anger, resentment or even taking action.

The following is an example of an email which shows how one error can cause great emotional  distress and embarrassment to the sender and their recipients. 

"On Friday, more than 1,300 employees of London-based Aviva Investors walked into their offices, strolled over to their desks, booted up their computers and checked their emails, only to learn the shocking news:  They would be leaving the company.  The email ordered them to hand over company property and security passes before leaving the building, and left the staff with one final line:  'I would like to take this opportunity to thank you and wish you all the best for the future.'  This email was sent to Aviva's worldwide staff of 1,300 people, with bases in the U.S., UK, France, Spain, Sweden, Canada, Italy, Ireland, Germany, Norway, Poland, Switzerland, Belgium, Austria, Finland and the Netherlands.  And it was all one giant mistake:  The email was intended for only one individual."

What actions should be taken?  Some email programs allow for message recall, but this rarely works even if done quickly. In all instances, a brief email should be sent acknowledging the mistake and making assurances, not excuses, that more care will be provided in the future.  If the potential fallout from the error may cause serious results, such as job loss or financial repercussions, then a more detailed email (or personal communication via phone or face-to-face) might be better served.  If certain damage has been done, financial or otherwise, the sender should ask the recipient to suggest a satisfactory solution.  Clearly the actions to be taken with the example shown above is to set the matter straight and issue an immediate apology.

Another necessary action with the drastic effects which should be taken immediately after a wrongly sent email is to make sure the true intended recipient be sent the errant correspondence.  Of course, it is an essential aspect of Netiquette to explain the error, how it happened and what, if anything, were the corrective actions.  These should also be a request to acknowledge receipt of the email as well.

What to do when an email with multiple addressees is returned because of one recipients delivery error

On those occasions when an email is sent to more than one person and a failure occurs for only one of the intended recipients, there are different actions the sender selects.  One is simply to resent the message after correcting any possible mistakes in the rejected email address.  This can be awkward since the other addressees will have two identical emails.

If this approach is taken , either a resend comment should be appended to the description field noting the repetition  or another approach which some senders choose is to resend the message only to the person who did not receive it.  Although this does prevent duplication emails to the other recipients the single addressee will not have the knowledge of the others who have the same email.  This can cause miscommunication, possible confusion or some embarrassment.

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What percentage of time does the average worker spend on email per day?

1. 15%
2. 21%
3. 28%
4. 35%
5. More than 35%

The correct answer is #3, 28%. This represents eleven hours of the work week!

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Great news!

My book is now atop the Amazon Netiquette list. Please go to Amazon and search for "netiquette" . There is a wonderful review from Kirkus as well.

Remember you can subscribe to receiving notifications when new blogs are posted:http://netiquetteiq.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default
 
About Netiquette IQ

My book, "Netiquette IQ - A Comprehensive Guide to Improve, Enhance and Add Power to Your Email" and the Kindle version are now available on Amazon. Please visit my author profile at

amazon.com/author/paulbabicki

#PaulBabicki
#netiquette  
#email
#emailsecurity

If you are interested in email or email security software, please visit:
www.tabularosa.net for many "best of breed products".

Cover mails - the critical start of a message

Emails very often serve as a cover description for attachments which might be resumes, proposals, forms, receipts and many other types of documents. If a sender wants these items to be read, they need to absolutely do all they can to insure that this is done. The following article lists some key suggestions to optimize this process.

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40pluscareerguru

Thursday, 18 April 2013

10 Cover Letter Catastrophes to Avoid

By Heather Huhman

 

A strong cover letter could be your ticket to moving a step further in getting a new job. This relatively concise piece of information has the ability to place you steps ahead of other candidates, highlight your achievements, and showcase your personality – but no one ever said creating one would be an easy task. Writing a knockout cover letter might even be one of the most challenging parts of the hiring process.

It’s hard to nail down just one challenge that accompanies writing cover letters. Unfortunately, many poor cover letters have allowed outstanding candidates to be passed over by hiring managers. While writing your cover letter might be a scary task, doing it successfully is essential to getting hired.

Don’t let your next cover letter be a flop; consider these 10 mistakes before you hit send:

It’s Riddled with Errors. There are many things the errors on your cover letter will express to a hiring manager: lack of attention to detail, carelessness, and even disinterest in the position. Your cover letter deserves to be triple checked for poor grammar, punctuation, and overall structure. Pass it along to your mentor or friends to ensure you haven’t missed anything.

It Lacks Focus. What are you attempting to convey to the hiring manager? Writing about your professional experiences can be challenging, and it often causes job seekers to create unfocused cover letters. To write a more direct cover letter, consider creating a layout encompassing your main points.

It’s Too Long. Respect the busy schedule of a hiring manager by utilizing brevity in every cover letter you create. Write short and succinct paragraphs to allow for a more easily read document. Sift through unnecessary details and only present the most beneficial information for the job at hand.

 It Doesn’t Set You Apart. Your cover letter is your chance to leave your mark on a hiring manager. Rather than reiterating what they can read on your resume, use this as an opportunity to share why you’re better for the job than any other candidate. Use a strong, purposeful statement of what you can bring to the position, and how you can positively benefit the company as a whole.

It Fails to Highlight Your Skills. While you certainly don’t need to highlight every single job you’ve had during your career, your cover letter should talk about your skills and experiences most beneficial to the company. Your cover letter isn’t for sharing your personal life or specific needs.

It’s Missing Information. Job listings often require certain information from applicants. By failing to share the necessary information in your cover letter, you’re essentially removing yourself from the hiring process. Why would a hiring manager choose you over a candidate who went above and beyond to provide the correct details? Double check the qualifications needed for the position prior to sending it.

 Your Tone is Off. While a cover letter is a professional document, it also gives your potential employer insight into your personality. Don’t rub a hiring manager the wrong way with long-winded bragging. Be sure to leave out arrogance, unprofessional information, and keep the company’s culture in mind.

It’s Generic. Customization is key in every part of the hiring process. Submitting a generic cover letter presents you as an average candidate. Your cover letter is an opportunity to stand out and truly speak to a hiring manager – don’t settle for generic.

You’re Not Qualified. No matter how you twist and stretch your skills and experiences, you might not be the right candidate for the position. Applying to a position you’re under qualified for is an all-too-common part of the job search. Keep in mind this not only wastes the time of the hiring manager, it also uses up the time and energy you could be spending on applying to position you’re more accurately matched.

 
You Don’t Have One. Just because a cover letter wasn’t mentioned in the job listing, doesn’t mean it’s OK to skip it – they’re never optional. Your cover letter is an important opportunity to convey points you can’t in your resume. Omitting this document leaves you at a fault.

Creating a strong cover letter may be a challenging, but it’s worth the time and energy. Leave a positive first impression on hiring managers by going out of your way to create a concise, focused, and customized document.


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Great news!

My book is now atop the Amazon Netiquette list. Please go to Amazon and search for "netiquette" . There is a wonderful review from Kirkus as well.

Remember you can subscribe to receiving notifications when new blogs are posted:http://netiquetteiq.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default
 
About Netiquette IQ

My book, "Netiquette IQ - A Comprehensive Guide to Improve, Enhance and Add Power to Your Email" and the Kindle version are now available on Amazon. Please visit my author profile at

amazon.com/author/paulbabicki

#PaulBabicki
#netiquette  
#email
#emailsecurity

If you are interested in email or email security software, please visit:
www.tabularosa.net for many "best of breed products".

Ransomware in emails

US-Cert is a wealth of great information for email and cyber security. Several people I know have had occurances with ransomware and it is very crippling. The information below is from a recent article by US-Cert. I strongly recommend all of this blog's readers to use this information and other guidelines set forth by this agency.

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Alert (TA13-309A)

CryptoLocker Ransomware Infections
Original release date: November 05, 2013 | Last revised: November 18, 2013
Microsoft Windows systems running Windows 8, Windows 7, Vista, and XP operating systems

Overview

US-CERT is aware of a malware campaign that surfaced in 2013 and is associated with an increasing number of ransomware infections. CryptoLocker is a new variant of ransomware that restricts access to infected computers and demands the victim provide a payment to the attackers in order to decrypt and recover their files. As of this time, the primary means of infection appears to be phishing emails containing malicious attachments.

Description

CryptoLocker appears to have been spreading through fake emails designed to mimic the look of legitimate businesses and through phony FedEx and UPS tracking notices.  In addition, there have been reports that some victims saw the malware appear following after a previous infection from one of several botnets frequently leveraged in the cyber-criminal underground.

Impact

The malware has the ability to find and encrypt files located within shared network drives, USB drives, external hard drives, network file shares and even some cloud storage drives.  If one computer on a network becomes infected, mapped network drives could also become infected. CryptoLocker then connects to the attackers’ command and control (C2) server to deposit the asymmetric private encryption key out of the victim’s reach.

Victim files are encrypted using asymmetric encryption. Asymmetric encryption uses two different keys for encrypting and decrypting messages. Asymmetric encryption is a more secure form of encryption as only one party is aware of the private key, while both sides know the public key.

While victims are told they have three days to pay the attacker through a third-party payment method (MoneyPak, Bitcoin), some victims have claimed online that they paid the attackers and did not receive the promised decryption key.  US-CERT and DHS encourage users and administrators experiencing a ransomware infection to report the incident to the FBI at the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3).

Solution

Prevention

US-CERT recommends users and administrators take the following preventative measures to protect their computer networks from a CryptoLocker infection:

Conduct routine backups of important files, keeping the backups stored offline.

Maintain up-to-date anti-virus software.

Keep your operating system and software up-to-date with the latest patches.

Do not follow unsolicited web links in email. Refer to the Security Tip Avoiding Social Engineering and Phishing Attacks for more information on social engineering attacks.

Use caution when opening email attachments. For more information on safely handling email attachments read Recognizing and Avoiding Email Scams (pdf), and Refer to the Security Tip Using Caution with Email Attachments.

 

 

Follow safe practices when browsing the web. For further reading on Safe Browsing habits, see Good Security Habitsand Safeguarding Your Data.

==============================

Great news!

My book is now atop the Amazon Netiquette list. Please go to Amazon and search for "netiquette" . There is a wonderful review from Kirkus as well.

Remember you can subscribe to receiving notifications when new blogs are posted:http://netiquetteiq.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default
 
About Netiquette IQ

My book, "Netiquette IQ - A Comprehensive Guide to Improve, Enhance and Add Power to Your Email" and the Kindle version are now available on Amazon. Please visit my author profile at

amazon.com/author/paulbabicki

#PaulBabicki
#netiquette  
#email
#emailsecurity

If you are interested in email or email security software, please visit:
www.tabularosa.net for many "best of breed products".

Four resons email will never die

 

 

 

 

 

Many people presume that with the increase of socil media, Twitter and and texting, that email is decresing. According to the Radicati  “Email Statistic Report, 2012-2016” email usage is increasing greatly. Some of the reasons why are nicely summrized by Fredic Paul in the article below. After reading this, I am sure all of you readers will agree.

 

"4 reasons email will never die"

Network World

By Fredric Paul on Thu, 11/21/13 - 12:09pm.

Forward-looking social media enthusiasts like to predict the end of email as we know it. Indeed, there are plenty of signs that millennials, in particular, prefer other methods of electronic communication, using email primarily to communicate with their clueless parents and various other Luddite institutions. In fact, I know of one teenager who lost his place at University because he didn't check his email for months, and thus never saw -- or paid -- the tuition notices he was sent.

But even if the younger generations drive the technology choices of the future, email is not about to go the way of the carrier pigeon.
Let's look at four reasons why email will be around for the foreseeable future:

1. Email is permanent.

Except in cost-obsessed corporations that strictly enforce those 200MB limits on Outlook mail storage, most people hang on to their emails indefinitely. Thus it's easy to go back and dig up messages and documents sent months, years, or even decades ago. That tuition message the college student never saw? It's still sitting there in his inbox. That message the CEO sent authorizing the bank to sell loans it knew were dogs? Still in the system, even if it got deleted from individual mailboxes. Email creates an ongoing record of communication, that the law increasingly recognizes. That can cause problems as well -- just ask General Petraeus -- but it's a huge differentiator from all the social media communication alternatives.

2. Emails are scalable.

Sure, you can post pictures along with your text or status update, but email lets you attach multiple large documents to your messages. That means it can include everything from images to presentations to highly formatted text documents -- or just about anything else you might need to share. New technologies are coming online that make it easier to share files held in a central repository, usually in the cloud, but even then, they usually use email to alert folks that the files are there.

3. Email is a great low-cost marketing medium.

Marketers love email because its relatively easy and cheap to broadcast messages to lots and lots of people at once. (Sure, the spammers love email for the same reasons, but that just shows that email marketing actually works.) Once you gather a list of addresses -- opt-in, please -- you don't have to pay big bucks to reach them every time. Try that on Facebook or Twitter!

4. Email is a ubiquitous standard.

Unlike all the competing social media networks, all the email services actually work together properly. If you send someone an email, you know they're going to get it, no matter if they use Outlook, Gmail, Yahoo Mail, or a corporate system. And even if those kids don't check their email much, it's pretty likely they at least have an email account. Pretty much everyone does, even if some of them are on Facebook and others are on Twitter and others prefer Snapchat. Email is the place where they all come together. And I don't see anything about to usurp that place at the center of conversation.

Sure, email has plenty of problems, and I'll take a look at them in an upcoming post. But make no mistake - email remains the cornerstone of online communications. Now and forever.

==============================

Great news!

My book is now atop the Amazon Netiquette list. Please go to Amazon and search for "netiquette" . There is a wonderful review from Kirkus as well.

Remember you can subscribe to receiving notifications when new blogs are posted:http://netiquetteiq.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default
 
About Netiquette IQ

My book, "Netiquette IQ - A Comprehensive Guide to Improve, Enhance and Add Power to Your Email" and the Kindle version are now available on Amazon. Please visit my author profile at

amazon.com/author/paulbabicki

#PaulBabicki
#netiquette