Managing E-Mail: Practical Solutions To Everyday Problems

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Managing E-Mail Practical Solutions To Everyday
Problems

• NABE/NCBP/NCBF February 2003
• John R. Maley
• jmaley_at_btlaw.com

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Agenda

• Why Talk About Email?
• Developing The Right Attitude Philosophy About
  Email
• Electronic Folders

• Rules
• Subject Lines
• Filters
• Internal Protocol
• Remote Connectivity
• PDAs

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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

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Developing The Right Attitude About Email

• There Are Still Some Bar Execs, Bar Staff, Bar
  Leaders Who Resist Email
• And Most Dont 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

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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

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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

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An Example
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Creating Rules To Maximize Your Email Experience

• Folders Are Important, But Without Rules Youre
  Left Still With One InBox Manual Moving Of
  Email
• You Can Make Rules By Subject Line Text, Sender,
  Recipient, Etc.

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An Example
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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 Youll Be Hunting For This Email
  Or Its Attachment

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A Few Simple Tips

• Get HighSpeed Access If You Dont 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 Its Merely Informational
• Remember The Help Features Are Robust

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Filters Good Or Bad?

• Filters Are The Hottest Application Presently
• Downside Risk Of Filtering Legitimate Member
  Email
• Filters Arent 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. Dont Reply To Spam Unless It Has An Auto
  Remove Feature

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Example
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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

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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

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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 Youre At Conferences Or
  Otherwise Out
• Get Remote Connectivity For All Your Staff!!!
• And For You At Home, Get Cable Or DSL

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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

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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

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Questions?