E-mail is wonderful. It’s made communicating immeasurably easier. But it can’t do everything, and it can be frustrating. What comes after e-mail? After E-Mail shows you new or upgraded tools that can save you time and improve your performance. Some are even free. Most you can use right away, without asking your organization to make changes in computers or software.
Finding time to learn even simple new software can be hard. After E-Mail helps you decide which tools to pick up first.
What are your time wasters?
"I’ve got 15 e-mails about that project somewhere. What do they say? Where are they?"
"I need only a two-word answer, but we keep just missing each other."
"Do I have to drive two hours for a 30-minute meeting?"
"It’ll take two days of e-mail to get that meeting scheduled."
"The four of them will spend eight hours in a car to hear my 40- minute presentation."
"I’ll send you that web address—If I can find it."
"I’ll get around to reading that stack of magazines some day. . . .Wonder if I’ve missed something important?"
"I should check those websites regularly, but who has the time?"
After E-Mail will help you choose the tool that fits your problem. It shows you tools on the Internet that can save time and improve your performance:
• Virtual offices where you can organize e-mail, share documents and manage a team calendar
• Bulletin boards or forums that you can set up to manage conversations with your work team. No longer will people say, "I can’t find your e-mail."
• Instant messaging, including "chat" and "voice chat," to reach people quickly and surely–no more ‘phone tag.’
• Videoconferencing for small groups
• Services that help schedule meetings by sending invitations and tabulating responses
• On-line presentation services—avoid needless travel
• On-line bookmark storage and other ways of sharing what is on the web
• Digital dailies—customized news delivered to you over the Internet
• Personal portals—customized pages that combine content from a variety of websites that you want to look at regularly
Change is constant on the Internet. On an accompanying website for the book you’ll find new products, updated web addresses and new tips from the author. Purchasers of the e-book version will receive this information in e-mail updates to be issued from time to time.
