I’ve been meaning to share this information with you for some time now . . . oh, where does the time go?
Anyway, I was reading through the recent (OK, I know it’s from October!) Downtown 
Women’s Club “Online Networking: How Social is Your Media?” survey, and its results show that “businesswomen in all generations now prefer e-mail (82 percent) to the telephone (64 percent) when it comes to networking.”
I can honestly say I must agree. I see telephone calls as a bit of an intrusion, and I usually only pick up the phone when I’m totally “over” e-mail (which lasts about an hour or so) or if I feel that it would be quicker to communicate what I have to say by voice mail or speaking directly to the person.
People are doing exactly as Faith Popcorn predicted. We’re cocooning. We’re sitting at our desks, behind our computers and not answering our phones–at least, most of the time, I am–and I know I’m not alone.
I know that I mostly connect colleagues that I think need to meet one another–and they connect me to people they feel I need to meet–via e-mail. None of that calling back and forth stuff.
I recently had a very painful conversation with a businesswoman whom I respect immensely. She has a stellar track record, and I have watched her career skyrocket. I’ve always wanted to meet her. What made it so painful? The person who introduced us insisted that we talk on the phone.
Wrong move. I knew it was wrong when I agreed. It’s not that I didn’t want to meet her. Heck, no! I just think we should have built up our rapport a bit via e-mail first, and then we probably would have increased our chances of having a fabulous conversation–when it was time.
You can listen to all the pundits who say that e-mail is dead, but do so at your own peril.
Image credit: Crunch Gear
This entry was posted on Wednesday, December 17th, 2008 at 12:21 am and is filed under E-Business, E-mail, Social Networking, Trends. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.10 Responses to “So, E-mail is Dead, Eh?”
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December 18th, 2008 at 7:40 pm
You are so right on phone calls feeling like an intrusion. Except for a few friends who can call me anytime (and Lena -you count as one of those), it throws me off my game.
However, as much as I’m an email person, I do find that the stream of consciousness that phone calls can encourage can be beneficial. But, I wonder how much time I waste emailing about scheduling phonecalls?
What I try to do is have “phone days.” I do back to back phone conferences, and even call companies like comcast and others who I dread. But, most of the time it’s email for me. Another reason is that I do a lot of late night responding to emails because I’m out of the office most days making telephone calls difficult.
I also find myself forgetting to check voicemail, but constantly checking my email.
Just a few random thoughts on the phone v. email question.
December 19th, 2008 at 10:37 pm
“Phone days” are such a good idea. I have worked my way up to having conversations with potential clients on Fridays, but I could do better with this going into 2009. Thanks for the idea and for commenting!
December 22nd, 2008 at 6:20 pm
Hi Lena – I agree that email is a fabulous medium. I love it and hate it. I love it for the reasons you mentioned. It’s an amazing connector, a quick info swapper, and a great time saver when used appropriately.
And as you know, my friend, I also love talking on the phone! There’s a place and a time for all the fabulous kinds of technology we now have at our disposal. If email was dead, I’d really mourn! Glad it’s not!
Thank you for your insights. Cheryl
December 22nd, 2008 at 10:05 pm
No, email isn’t going anywhere. It’s up to us, as business professionals, to determine what’s going to work in terms of managing our email communication load.
Once we get a handle on that, we’ll be much better off. So much of email angst comes from not having a strategy that leverages your natural work style.
Thanks for reading and commenting!
December 30th, 2008 at 6:43 am
I think there is a coming event in which email becomes a revenue engine for ISPs. Packages will appear where the subscriber will get a limited number of emails and then are charged for each email over that limit. Think cell minutes. What is the real benefit to the consumer? The end of spam! Some people may think this is a crazy idea but any idea that generates revenue is rarely crazy. Google, Yahoo, and all the other email service providers will soon unveil very attractive packages for the consumer and business. For business it will eliminate lost productivity by employees using email for personal use and sending those annoying jokes and images. For the consumer the end of spam alone is a blessing. Think this is crazy right? Yeah, well who in the hell would pay to listen to the radio?
December 30th, 2008 at 8:58 am
@Tom:
I’m a little lost.
How does putting limits on email – or charging for email – stop my receipt of spam?
Keeping in mind that most spammers – if they’re any good – don’t use traditional Internet access points and networks – they usually have some illegal, unauthorized or “self-owned” connections to the Internet. They rarely use an ISP and if they do, they can cover their tracks like crazy.
So, if my hosting company or ISP charges me for email, why does that stop a spammer from sending email? Or am I missing something?
Thanks for reading and commenting!
January 2nd, 2009 at 10:30 am
I think most people have a love/hate relationship with email. It is a wonderful technology for all the obvious reasons of course, however if over-used as the only medium for communicating it would be detrimental to person-to-person social contact. Even if business we need to be aware and receptive of the “personal touch” for more effective business relationships. Over use of email may interfere with this.
January 2nd, 2009 at 10:58 pm
@Sharon:
I agree. There is definitely a need for balance when it comes to email. Too much at the wrong time can be…not good.
Thanks for reading and commenting!
January 13th, 2009 at 7:59 am
cocooning
You have got to be kidding!
April 5th, 2009 at 4:37 am
Hi Lena-
Love your perspective re email. I find it such a delight to remember to tell someone something and no matter what time of day–I can get it out into the Universe.It’s a must for biz but a great way to stay connected with friends and not have to sit on the phone. I think we’re too fast paced! I line up my phone calls for times when I have drive time.
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