Email auto-responders and away messages Nov20 '07

It's tradition to include an email auto-responder when you are out of the office, or on vacation. Why not include one regularly, though? After all, isn't that what a voicemail greeting is - a message to simply explain, "I was not able to immediately receive your message, but I will get back to you shortly?"

Let's say you organize your day in such a manner that all personal email is read for one hour during the evening. This would help your productivity during the day by not being distracted with irrelevant emails.

You could create an email auto-responder which says something like:

"I have received your message, and will read it over and possibly reply this evening from 6-7 PM."

An auto-responder in this manner is kind of like your instant-message "Away" note.

I think this was the original intention of Twitter. To provide real-time status updates, much like IM "Away" messages. If there was only a way to incorporate that into email programs, since I think many people would get annoyed with a constant auto-response to every single email they send to you.

Categories: Email , Ideas , Instant Message , Twitter

Add Feedback (view all)

Leave feedback

Feedback

Input format: The editor controls below will assist with Markdown syntax.

Status

Sub-status

Your info Name: Email (will not show on page):

Follow new comments via email? (You can turn this off any time)

Do you want your comments emailed to yourself?

Home Page (optional):

Matt, I think what you're calling for is more-or-less what Yahoo or GMail (even Apple) provide in terms of being able to update "status" (this is d ... Read more.

matthom is published and produced by Matt Thommes - an independent publishing enthusiast, mobile blogger, content creator, informative writer, web developer from a suburb of Chicago. Never one to conform, Matt intends to promote the effect the web has on our lives, in an effort to intensify, instruct, and clarify all that is happening around us.