Leading Hands Through Technology » email http://leadinghands.org/blog Keeping families in sync with technology Tue, 07 Feb 2012 10:03:07 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v= Treat Email Like Text Messages http://leadinghands.org/blog/treat-email-like-text-messages/ http://leadinghands.org/blog/treat-email-like-text-messages/#comments Sun, 15 May 2011 16:55:59 +0000 Marc Majers http://leadinghands.org/blog/?p=2720 I discovered this site the other day called Five Sentences. The idea of the site is to shorten all your email communication by pledging to keep all email responses regardless of recipient or subject to five sentences or less.

How do you craft your email messages? Do you use your email messages to start a conversations or memorialize them? Do you summarize your thoughts briefly? As our society moves further into using our Smart Phones as the single-source of communication, almost everything we write will become digital shorthand. I usually create all my emails with quick summaries and brief bullet points.

Do you think you could join the digital shorthand revolution?

http://five.sentenc.es/

]]> http://leadinghands.org/blog/treat-email-like-text-messages/feed/ 0 Cool Email Signatures Galore http://leadinghands.org/blog/cool-email-signatures-galore/ http://leadinghands.org/blog/cool-email-signatures-galore/#comments Mon, 03 Aug 2009 11:37:37 +0000 Marc Majers http://leadinghands.org/blog/?p=912 If you are like me, you’re primary form of communication is electronic, which is either text or email. Currently, I am more of an email kind of guy and at the bottom of every email, you generally have a signature. Most companies expect you to create a standard signature that lists your name, title, email, phone, fax and website details. However, when it comes to your personal email address signature, I have noticed that most people don’t customize it. If you are looking for a creative email signature, then you must check out Cool Sig.

The website has been online for almost 15 years and over that time has grown into the largest repository of email signature ideas. Are you a Star Wars fan? Perhaps you want a proverbial signature? Whether you are interested in sports, romance or beer, then swing over and get an original email signature at Cool Sig. If you are not sure how to add an email signature, then follow this handy install your email signature guide.

http://www.coolsig.com

]]> http://leadinghands.org/blog/cool-email-signatures-galore/feed/ 0 Social Networking Surpasses Email http://leadinghands.org/blog/social-networking-passes-email/ http://leadinghands.org/blog/social-networking-passes-email/#comments Wed, 11 Mar 2009 06:09:46 +0000 Marc Majers http://leadinghands.org/blog/?p=672 A recent Nielsen report proclaims the declining use of email and the emergence of social networking. Neilsen breaks down their activities of the Internet into five categories: search, software, blogging, email and portals. Blogging aka microblogging/social networking (Facebook and Twiiter) is now the fourth most popular activity on the web.

86% use search like Google, 85% explore portals like Yahoo, 76% use software like Turbotax, 66% blog like on Facebook and 65% write email as with Hotmail. This study was based on a worldwide study with Europe and the United States as majority users. Another surprising fact is one in every 11 minutes online globally is accounted for by social network and blogging sites.

Are you in shock over this statistic or does this reflect your online activity?
http://www.nielsen-online.com/pr/pr_090309.pdf

]]> http://leadinghands.org/blog/social-networking-passes-email/feed/ 1 Feedblitz – Turn Blog Posts Into Emails http://leadinghands.org/blog/feedblitz-turn-blog-post-into-an-email/ http://leadinghands.org/blog/feedblitz-turn-blog-post-into-an-email/#comments Fri, 13 Feb 2009 10:21:00 +0000 Marc Majers http://leadinghands.org/blog/?p=617 Bloggers are you looking for another way to connect to your audience? Feed Blitz will turn your blog post into email format. It creates a managed and legal email list. An ad free version starts at $10 a month. The interface of Feed Blitz is not the greatest, but it does track clicks, opens and other email metrics.

Has anyone ever used this service professionally, is the ad free version worth it?

http://feedblitz.com

]]> http://leadinghands.org/blog/feedblitz-turn-blog-post-into-an-email/feed/ 0 Gmail Users – Try Mail Goggles! http://leadinghands.org/blog/gmail-users-try-mail-goggles/ http://leadinghands.org/blog/gmail-users-try-mail-goggles/#comments Mon, 03 Nov 2008 11:00:54 +0000 Marc Majers http://leadinghands.org/blog/?p=414 I learned the hard way a few years ago about sending emails in the heat of the moment. Before I send out a big email, I generally save it in my draft box, let it simmer, and send it out later. This method of saving for later led to many drafts in my inbox, but it has made me certainly craft better emails. Now Google has created Mail Goggles to prevent you from sending that message you shouldn’t send.

Inside your Gmail “Setup”, under the “Labs” tab you will see the option to enable this feature. You have the opportunity to define what time of the day you want Google to ask if you if you really want to send this email.

http://www.gmail.com

By the way, if you don’t have a Gmail account, you are missing out on one of the best free products on the market. I would highly recommend signing-up for a Gmail account; you will never go back to your old email system.

]]> http://leadinghands.org/blog/gmail-users-try-mail-goggles/feed/ 0 Sarah Palin’s Email Hacked http://leadinghands.org/blog/palins-email-hacked/ http://leadinghands.org/blog/palins-email-hacked/#comments Thu, 25 Sep 2008 11:26:36 +0000 Marc Majers http://leadinghands.org/blog/?p=384

Last week Alaskan Governor and Republican Vice Presidential Candidate Sarah Palin’s Yahoo email account was deliberately hacked. The offender’s took screenshots of her email inbox and posted them for the world to see. Besides the fact a government official shouldn’t be using a free public email service to hold classified federal documents, a normal consumer can take precautions so it doesn’t happen to you.

How did the hackers get into Governor Palin’s Yahoo email? Yahoo asks a series of security questions to reset your password. These security questions you can choose, however most of them are generic such as, “What city were you born in?”. The answers to all the security questions could be discovered with a simple Google search. Thus, you must pay attention to your email security settings.

Tips to improve email security:

  • Pick security questions only you know the answers too
  • Don’t use the same password on every website you visit
  • Use a free password keeper to remember all your passwords

Do you have any tips to keep your passwords safe?

Read story -
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7624809.stm

]]> http://leadinghands.org/blog/palins-email-hacked/feed/ 0 Email permission http://leadinghands.org/blog/email-permission/ http://leadinghands.org/blog/email-permission/#comments Wed, 07 Dec 2005 06:56:22 +0000 Marc Majers http://leadinghands.org/blog/?p=74 Does your child get permission before they receive an email? A friend of mine was talking about how her 8 year old daughter receives emails from the American Girl website. She was impressed that when the American doll company prompts children to sign up for their newsletter, they ask for the parent’s email address. Then as a parent you have the discretion to decide what your child should see. What a concept!

Children are becoming more and more computer literate perhaps more than their parents; however with logical steps, like prompting children for a parent’s email, safety can be achieved. Now of course, your child could always open a free Hotmail account and go around your supervision; however knowing is half the battle.

]]> http://leadinghands.org/blog/email-permission/feed/ 0