Managing E-Mail: Practical Solutions To Everyday Problems

Managing E-Mail: Practical Solutions To Everyday Problems NABE/NCBP/NCBF February 2003 John R. Maley jmaley@btlaw.com

Why Talk About Email? Developing The Right Attitude & Philosophy About Email Electronic Folders Rules Subject Lines Filters Internal Protocol Remote Connectivity PDAs Agenda

Why Focus On Email • Email Is How Most Of Your Members Communicate • Email Can Be The Most Efficient Means Of Communication For You With Your Members, and For You With Your Staff • But No One Really Teaches How To Maximize Your Email Experience • And Email Is Currently Overwhelming Many Bar Executives & Bar Leaders • But There Are Practical Solutions

Developing The Right Attitude About Email • There Are Still Some Bar Execs, Bar Staff, & Bar Leaders Who Resist Email • And Most Don’t Maximize Its Use • Email Must Be Your Friend • Or It Will Be Your Perpetual Enemy • Half The Battle Is Attitude: • “I Will Implement Practical Tools To Make Email Easier & More Helpful”

Using Electronic Folders • How Many Of You Have One InBox? • How Many Have More Than 25 EFolders • More Than 100? • You Should Have Separate Email Folders For Board, Each Committee, Each Section, Each Division, Bar Leaders, and Even Key Projects • Why? • How To Do This

More On Folders • Have A High Priority Folder • Have A Phone Message Folder • And Sub-Divide Further Where Appropriate • E.G., For Board • Agendas • Minutes • Resolutions • Tasks • RSVPs

An Example

Creating Rules To Maximize Your Email Experience • Folders Are Important, But Without Rules You’re Left Still With One InBox & Manual Moving Of Email • You Can Make Rules By Subject Line Text, Sender, Recipient, Etc.

An Example

The Importance Of A Good Subject Line • Never Leave Subject Line Blank • Use Your “Rule” Terms, Plus More Detail • Indicate When Action Is Due IN THE SUBJECT LINE • If Not Urgent, Say So • Remember Someday You’ll Be Hunting For This Email Or Its Attachment

A Few Simple Tips • Get HighSpeed Access If You Don’t Have It • Use The Unread Button • Use The Change To Feature • Learn The Power Of Right Clicking • Use The High Priority Option When It Is, In Fact, A High Priority • Use Low Priority When It’s Merely Informational • Remember The Help Features Are Robust

Filters – Good Or Bad? • Filters Are The Hottest Application Presently • Downside: Risk Of Filtering Legitimate Member Email • Filters Aren’t Necessary Because You Already Have The Ability Within Outlook Or Other Email Packages • Either Through Blocked Senders Feature Or By Creating A Rule • P.S. – Don’t Reply To Spam Unless It Has An Auto Remove Feature

Example

Viruses • Vast Majority Of Viruses Come To You By Email • You Must Have Protection • Norton Anti-Virus Is Good & Inexpensive • Update Regularly • Teach Staff What Not To Open (e.g., .exe files) • Make Your Staff Have Their Own Hotmail Or Other Email Out Of The Office For Personal Email - Make That Policy

Internal Protocol • Develop Protocol • Write Policies • Train Staff • Put Email Protocol On Staff Meeting Agenda Regularly • Teach Folders, Rules, Subject Lines • Also – Only Allow Replies If Requested

Remote Connectivity • Managing Email During The Day Is, Even With Good Tools & Techniques, Almost Impossible • Email Clean-Up/Management Is Most Easily Done From Home • And Without Remote Connectivity, Email Volume Will Back Up When You’re At Conferences Or Otherwise Out • Get Remote Connectivity For All Your Staff!!! • And For You At Home, Get Cable Or DSL

PDAs & Email • Today There Is No Reason Not To Have Email Capability In Your PDA • Palm, Handspring, Kyocera, Samsung, and Others Make Combination PDAs/Cells/Email • Bar Execs & Bar Leaders Should Have These

My Final 5 Tips • Start Using Folders, Rules, Subject Lines • Get Remote Connectivity For All Staff • Get High-Speed Access At Home (You & Your President) • Force Your Bar Leaders To Use Email • Create Blocks For Repeat Spammers

Questions?

Managing E-Mail: Practical Solutions To Everyday Problems