Communicate

Mobile Signature Makes One-Line Email Socially Acceptable


In the depths of email overload desperation, I wished email had a 140-character limit like Twitter updates. In response, two people recommended doing what Kevin Rose does: Set your email signature to “Sent from my mobile phone.” It’s a white lie that makes you look less rude for being short. It’s annoying to have to fib (and embarrassing if you get caught somehow-of course all of Kevin’s friends now know his “secret”). But for someone who gets more than 100 messages per day, this technique may be a matter of survival versus just saving time. Haven’t set this up myself yet, but if I wind up at the bottom of another email mountain getting ready for a processing marathon, I just might.

Comments (AU Comments | US Comments)

  • meinrosebud

    Awww what a crock!

    Sent from paper

  • dr_nailz

    … except your mail headers belie you. Of course, no-one will tell you, so you won’t know they know. They will just think you’re a dick.

  • Marsha Egan

    With 70% of all e-mail readers skimming e-mail, your idea about brevity is dead on. The fewer words, the fewer there are to skim!

    I don’t think you even need to “pretend” that you are sending the message from your PDA. Adopt this practice, — it will make you be more concise, and it will assure (well, at least we hope!) that your message will be read.

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