Prevent E-mail Disasters: 5Tools to Protect You fr by _dreamprince_ 2011/03/13 06:03
A growing number of tech tools
are now on hand to prevent the
all-too-common e-mail faux
pas.
A growing number of tech tools
are now on hand to prevent the
all-too-common e-mail faux
pas.
_dreamprince_ 2011/03/13 06:03
It's a rare e-mail user indeed who
hasn't experienced the awful
moment that can come right
after hitting "send." It's the
moment when you realize that
you just said something you
shouldn't have in the e-mail, and
there's no way to get it back.
Such faux pas can be damaging
to any user; for a business, it
can be a disaster.
Need an example? Angelo Mozilo,
former chairman of Countrywide
Financial, drew considerable flak
a few years ago by describing a
mortgage customer's e-mailed
plea for help as "disgusting."
Unfortunately for Mozilo, he
inadvertently chose to use that
turn of phrase in a "reply" to the
customer's e-mail, rather than
forwarding it, as he intended to.
Not surprisingly, the lender
issued a public apology later that
same day. Countrywide and
Mozilo, of course, have since left
their own special legacy in the
annals of time.
It's a rare e-mail user indeed who
hasn't experienced the awful
moment that can come right
after hitting "send." It's the
moment when you realize that
you just said something you
shouldn't have in the e-mail, and
there's no way to get it back.
Such faux pas can be damaging
to any user; for a business, it
can be a disaster.
Need an example? Angelo Mozilo,
former chairman of Countrywide
Financial, drew considerable flak
a few years ago by describing a
mortgage customer's e-mailed
plea for help as "disgusting."
Unfortunately for Mozilo, he
inadvertently chose to use that
turn of phrase in a "reply" to the
customer's e-mail, rather than
forwarding it, as he intended to.
Not surprisingly, the lender
issued a public apology later that
same day. Countrywide and
Mozilo, of course, have since left
their own special legacy in the
annals of time.
_dreamprince_ 2011/03/13 06:04
The risks aren't reserved just
for high-profile CEOs at troubled
companies, however. How can
the rest of us avoid making e-
mail mistakes of our own?
Fortunately for us, an
assortment of IT tools are on
hand to help.
The risks aren't reserved just
for high-profile CEOs at troubled
companies, however. How can
the rest of us avoid making e-
mail mistakes of our own?
Fortunately for us, an
assortment of IT tools are on
hand to help.
_dreamprince_ 2011/03/13 06:05
1. ToneCheck
Now in beta, ToneCheck is a
software package from Lymbix
that uses sentiment analysis to
identify and flag emotionally
charged sentences within e-mail
messages. Currently offered as
a free plug-in for Microsoft
Outlook 2007 and 2010,
ToneCheck allows users to set
an individual tolerance level for
emotional content. Using that
level as a guide, the software
monitors e-mails and a "Tone
Alert" indicator turns red when
the language used exceeds the
user's tolerance level. Flagged
sentences can then be revised
accordingly.
2. Reply to All Monitor
Sperry Software's Reply To All
Monitor, meanwhile, is an Outlook
add-in that focuses on e-mail
replies and especially replies to
all. Priced at *14.95, the tool
offers a number of prompts and
confirmations to prevent users
from accidentally revealing too
much to the wrong people on e-
mail. First, as its name suggests,
the software asks for
confirmation before you send a
"Reply to All" message, thereby
making you think twice about
who will see what you're about to
send. If you were BCC'd on a
message, it also prompts you
before replying so that you won't
inadvertently reveal that you
were an undisclosed recipient.
3. Safeguard Send
Another add-in from Sperry is
Safeguard Send, which aims to
help users think twice before
they send an e-mail outside the
company, for instance. Priced at
*24.95, Safeguard Send can also
alert users when their e-mail
includes specific keywords, has a
blank "subject" line or includes
more than a certain number of
recipients.
1. ToneCheck
Now in beta, ToneCheck is a
software package from Lymbix
that uses sentiment analysis to
identify and flag emotionally
charged sentences within e-mail
messages. Currently offered as
a free plug-in for Microsoft
Outlook 2007 and 2010,
ToneCheck allows users to set
an individual tolerance level for
emotional content. Using that
level as a guide, the software
monitors e-mails and a "Tone
Alert" indicator turns red when
the language used exceeds the
user's tolerance level. Flagged
sentences can then be revised
accordingly.
2. Reply to All Monitor
Sperry Software's Reply To All
Monitor, meanwhile, is an Outlook
add-in that focuses on e-mail
replies and especially replies to
all. Priced at *14.95, the tool
offers a number of prompts and
confirmations to prevent users
from accidentally revealing too
much to the wrong people on e-
mail. First, as its name suggests,
the software asks for
confirmation before you send a
"Reply to All" message, thereby
making you think twice about
who will see what you're about to
send. If you were BCC'd on a
message, it also prompts you
before replying so that you won't
inadvertently reveal that you
were an undisclosed recipient.
3. Safeguard Send
Another add-in from Sperry is
Safeguard Send, which aims to
help users think twice before
they send an e-mail outside the
company, for instance. Priced at
*24.95, Safeguard Send can also
alert users when their e-mail
includes specific keywords, has a
blank "subject" line or includes
more than a certain number of
recipients.
_dreamprince_ 2011/03/13 06:05
4. VaporStream
Aiming to prevent unauthorized
or unintended copying,
forwarding, saving and printing
of e-mail messages,
VaporStream is a cloud-based
confidential messaging system
that "vaporizes" messages after
they're read. Priced at *7.50 per
user per month, the technology
integrates with current e-mail
platforms . even using existing e-
mail contact lists . and it allows
the attachment of Microsoft
Excel, PowerPoint or Word files.
Rather than presenting a
potential liability, however, such
attachments get converted into
unsavable images and are
viewable only in the VaporStream
attachment viewer.
VaporStream uses military grade
encryption, and a keyword
filtering capability can prevent
select, sensitive conversations
from occurring at all. Free
alternatives to VaporStream,
incidentally, include KickNotes
and Vanish, a prototype program
whose source code is offered
for free.
4. VaporStream
Aiming to prevent unauthorized
or unintended copying,
forwarding, saving and printing
of e-mail messages,
VaporStream is a cloud-based
confidential messaging system
that "vaporizes" messages after
they're read. Priced at *7.50 per
user per month, the technology
integrates with current e-mail
platforms . even using existing e-
mail contact lists . and it allows
the attachment of Microsoft
Excel, PowerPoint or Word files.
Rather than presenting a
potential liability, however, such
attachments get converted into
unsavable images and are
viewable only in the VaporStream
attachment viewer.
VaporStream uses military grade
encryption, and a keyword
filtering capability can prevent
select, sensitive conversations
from occurring at all. Free
alternatives to VaporStream,
incidentally, include KickNotes
and Vanish, a prototype program
whose source code is offered
for free.
_dreamprince_ 2011/03/13 06:06
5. Insight about Contacts:
Xobni and Rapportive
Xobni and Rapportive are both
tools that push the identities of
those you're exchanging e-mail
with to the forefront of your
communications. Xobni, for
instance, is an Outlook plug-in
and BlackBerry app that not only
helps users navigate e-mails and
conversations but also pulls in
data about contacts from third-
party social-networking sites like
Facebook to put them into
context and remind users of key
facts about their connections.
Xobni is available in a free version
as well as a "pro" version for *
7.99 per month. Rapportive,
meanwhile, is a free tool for
Gmail that "shows you
everything about your contacts
right inside your inbox," in the
company's own words.
The frequency of e-mail gaffes
in business is underscored by
this series of comics. Time to
put some technology . and
thought . to work to make sure
you're not the next victim.
5. Insight about Contacts:
Xobni and Rapportive
Xobni and Rapportive are both
tools that push the identities of
those you're exchanging e-mail
with to the forefront of your
communications. Xobni, for
instance, is an Outlook plug-in
and BlackBerry app that not only
helps users navigate e-mails and
conversations but also pulls in
data about contacts from third-
party social-networking sites like
Facebook to put them into
context and remind users of key
facts about their connections.
Xobni is available in a free version
as well as a "pro" version for *
7.99 per month. Rapportive,
meanwhile, is a free tool for
Gmail that "shows you
everything about your contacts
right inside your inbox," in the
company's own words.
The frequency of e-mail gaffes
in business is underscored by
this series of comics. Time to
put some technology . and
thought . to work to make sure
you're not the next victim.
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