Why have an email account?

[Avion]

I read this post on Mastodon:

For the first time in years I'm trawling through my main #email #inbox actually deleting stuff. I'm now below 100k unread and on a roll. Let's see how low I can get it.

Why would someone bother with having an email account if they don't read any emails?

[janusz]

The quoted sentence says "first time in years I'm trawling through my main #email #inbox actually deleting stuff". This is about deleting, not about reading.

[Bamb0]

Seems pretty silly to keep wasting thier space for nothing!

[TenFour]

I used to work for a tech company where the CEO believed in just leaving all emails in his Inbox. He would read them and do something but then just left them in the Inbox--he had hundreds of thousands of emails there. One thing I like about email is it allows for all sorts of different workflows depending on what you like. Personally, I like Inbox Zero but with emails requiring later action starred at the top (Gmail).

[Avion]

Originally Posted by janusz

The quoted sentence says "first time in years I'm trawling through my main #email #inbox actually deleting stuff". This is about deleting, not about reading.

The quote also says:

I'm now below 100k unread

Maybe I've misunderstood, but I've assumed that those emails haven't been read, unless they've actually read them and then are marking them as 'unread'.

[dryoldlime]

Originally Posted by Avion

I read this post on Mastodon:



Why would someone bother with having an email account if they don't read any emails?

Maybe the experience of learning to create the account and explore the site on which the account is on. User may use the account a few times (or more, since users vary).

[Avion]

Originally Posted by dryoldlime

User may use the account a few times

In the quote in post #1 they say "I'm trawling through my main #email #inbox".

The question I originally posed still applies.

[TenFour]

Originally Posted by Avion

In the quote in post #1 they say "I'm trawling through my main #email #inbox".

The question I originally posed still applies.

I agree with Avion. I have learned of births and deaths, received job offers, learned of important and timely changes to accounts, and heard from old friends all via email. For me it is the prime way I stay in touch with many people not in my immediate family. Seems silly to bother with an email address that just collects unread messages.

[dryoldlime]

Originally Posted by TenFour

I agree with Avion. I have learned of births and deaths, received job offers, learned of important and timely changes to accounts, and heard from old friends all via email. For me it is the prime way I stay in touch with many people not in my immediate family. Seems silly to bother with an email address that just collects unread messages.

It meant "learning..." as one of the possible reasons. Email is just one of the possible choices for communication among people. Faster than sending a letter; more leisurely than telephone. Less immediate than text-messages. Interactivity can still be high with email.