There’s much chatter these days about doing away with email clutter (more on that in the next installment).
Company after company proclaims weekly moratoria on inbox traffic, seeks solutions like Slack and Yammer, even banishes the e-letter outright.
Somehow, the bane of billions @ work re-appears.
Those of us who complain about e-overload need look no further than right outside the United States, where Internet access (and email) is prized. India, with only 15 percent of its population connected, plans to hook everyone into fiber-optic cable by 2019. Indonesia is only one percentage point better. Even China, with its massive population, has only linked 46 percent to the Internet.
What’s more, it often takes about 15 or more minutes to actually receive the missive, even in New Delhi, the heart of the Indian government.
In contrast, simply remember our e-luck (and connectivity). Besides, as a nation that expects immediate gratification, the delivery of email here waits for nothing, except an offline or damaged server or viruses or … .
Our solution to the clutter: A long-time newspaper columnist designated August 7 as National Write That Note Day. No excuses. No delays. As she points out, Paper Source stores are alive and well and expanding. So someone must be writing.
What’s perfect for pen and paper, despite the ‘snail mail’ designation? Condolences. Congratulations. Catching up with old friends. The holiday family letter.
It’s doing the right thing, no matter what you say.
