He's right about endless circular email discussions being annoying when trying to organise something simple (we get them at my day job when people are trying to decide which pub to go to!), but perhaps they could've used email for the discussion instead of the professionally organised conference call? I find conference calls are often worse than useless, you don't get the eye contact and gestures of face-to-face meetings or the flexibility and clarity of email. Everyone gets frustrated trying to hear and be heard.

(I'm currently working on a project where I've never met the client or spoken to them on the phone, it's been conducted entirely via email; that hadn't occurred to me until now, it's worked fine)

Posted by: Matt Round on November 27, 2002 03:49 AM

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Matt, my secret project has been done using email (20%) and IM (80%). It has worked very well. I talked with the developer for about 10 minutes but that was about 2 months ago. No phone contact since. The project will be done without any more calls.

Do other people have stories about how they never talk to other people (i.e., phone), but use other communication tools instead?

Posted by: John S. Rhodes on November 27, 2002 08:35 AM

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I'm eager to know when John's new porn "e-commerce" site is going to be launched.

Posted by: MadMan on November 27, 2002 11:19 AM

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I prefer e-mail communications for business (not sales and marketing - that needs a more ...personal touch) because then I automatically have a transcript of what was discussed and what decisions were made. I hate taking minutes at meetings. :)

John

Posted by: John on November 27, 2002 11:22 AM

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(The article is from Fortune)

Email is an asynchronous, written form of communication. Phone discussions are synchronous, voice communication. Email is a poor coordination tool (the author's point). The phone is a poor tool for exchanging detailed or lengthly information.

Posted by: Ron Zeno on November 27, 2002 12:58 PM

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I think the author has a very good point. Many people use email all the time simply because they can, without thnking whether it's the most appropriate means of communication. Use email where you need a record of what was said, or where it's easier to explain something by writing it down. Don't use email to replace a normal face-to-face conversation - it's less efficient.

Posted by: Alan Fisher on November 28, 2002 04:24 AM

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Hmm...for me there's short term efficiency and long term efficiency. The minute I have to call someone to ask about a conversation we had a couple months ago email becomes more efficient.

He also doesn't touch on the voice-mail issue. Phones are great if someone is there, but I if I miss someone I try to never leave voice messages but instead go back to email - then I have record of leaving a message, I avoid having to learn idiosyncracies of voice mail systems, and I can match up the question and answer. I can also read quicker than people talk so in that sense email is faster.

I find that my inbox becomes a rolling to-do list - messages get left there until they are are dealt with, then moved off to archival folders. I've even resorted to sending myself email just to get on the list..;)

I'd be curious to fill in the context around this author - his age, typing speed, reading speed, company culture, type of work he does etc. Probably more issues involved than just preference.

Posted by: Boyink on November 28, 2002 11:27 AM

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I thought I was the only one that used my Inbox for a To Do list. Sigh, another illusion of my uniqueness shattered. (But I'm definitely the only one that regularly gets no results found and often googlewhacks without even trying. :-P )

The no more than 10 emails on one subject rule is interesting, if a trifle hidebound. I know on web logs whenever I see a big jump in the number of comments I wonder.

Posted by: Chad Lundgren on November 28, 2002 12:53 PM

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I like e-mail, but I'm an introvert. It is fast, I can do it at 2am (as opposed to talking with someone from work at that time), and I can collect my thoughts and provide a succinct response.

I use it for everything, if I can. Off-site people almost always are easier to communicate with via e-mail (though I have yet to live the beautiful dream of a contract that will communicate only by e-mail).

Sure, I can talk face-to-face, but I find that people ramble on when, if they were writing an e-mail, they would just get to the point and give me the info I want. There's a time for chit-chat, and there's a time for not making me pretend I am interested in the extra words coming out of their mouth.

E-mail isn't appropriate for arranging meetings that happen the same day, though. I'd much rather talk to people face-to-face on that. I also consider talking to someone directly if I deliberately want to be chatty, say if I need extensive feedback on a new feature or something like that.

Posted by: Lydia on December 2, 2002 10:09 PM

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