What were you doing 15 years ago? Did you have email? Was that email a Hotmail account?
Believe it or not, Hotmail is celebrating its 15th birthday this month! Besides making me feel very old (!), Hotmail’s birthday brings about some new changes based on user feedback including the ability to create aliases with the new alias feature, Facebook chat in Hotmail, and service that’s 10 times faster than the previous version. Check out a video demonstration showing off the increased speed and what this really means for Hotmail users.
To commemorate Hotmail’s 15th birthday, the Hotmail team put together some of our their email tips for sending email and managing your inbox. Consider the 5 tips below a gift from Hotmail!
- Keep it Short and Sweet: People are pressed for time these days and many use their inbox to manage their busy lives. To make sure your note doesn’t get lost in the clutter, remember to keep your email messages simple, direct and to the point. Remember, short doesn’t mean rude, it means respecting the recipient’s time and getting to the point quickly and kindly.
- Eliminate the Clutter: Did you know that on average, most Americans receive over 200 emails a week? No wonder you can’t find anything in that inbox! Whether you like to let your inbox pile up or you fastidiously file each email away, use the Sweep feature in Hotmail to get to the emails you want to see. Sweep lets you clear your inbox of clutter in just a few clicks and puts only the mail you want out to see right at the top of the list.
- Simple Subject Lines: As they say in journalism, don’t bury the lead! Use simple and direct subject lines to make sure your emails are prioritized and responded to as appropriate. If there is an action for the reader you can call that out in the subject line as well: “For Review” “Please Respond” and “ACTION” all work well. Then clearly outline the context and reason for sending the email in the first sentence as much as possible.
- Beware of the Large Attachment: Nobody likes to receive a 55 MB email full of graphic files and logos that clogs up their inbox. It’s always best to include URLs where applicable. If you use Hotmail, it automatically uses Windows Live SkyDrive to send large attachments and photos via the cloud and won’t clog your inbox.
- 15 Minutes to Take Control: Dedicate 15 minutes a month to getting (or staying) in control of your inbox. Set up folders to sweep newsletters, unsubscribe from social network updates, and delete mails that are more than 3 months old. Your inbox (and sanity) will thank you!
For more email tips, check out the Windows Live Hotmail Tips page!
Information for this post was provided by Hotmail. No compensation was received for this post.
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Original post by Tech Savvy Mama
©2012
You know what? My first non-university email address was Hotmail. And you know what address I still use to this day as my main account? That very same Hotmail account. From that account, I manage about five other email addresses. It does everything I want it to. Happy Birthday, Hotmail!
Wow ~ I can’t believe it’s been 15 years. Time sure flies. Thanks for the great tips!
Yeah, hasn’t everyone moved to Gmail already? I think my grandpa is still using hotmail though.