Internet: e-nough!

"The average worker spends nearly an hour each day on e-mail," says an article in the Chicago Tribune. An hour! That's 12.5% of the working day. How much is work? How much is waste? And, given the growing use of email marketing, how much is trashed?

As our email boxes become more stuffed, the danger is we'll build up an immunity. As marketers, we may see email as low-cost advertising. There's no design. No printing. No postage. But, with continued overuse, there will also be no effectiveness. And that costs us all a lot.

I just deleted more than 20 emails this morning -- unread. In fact, I filter out most of my junk mail so I don't have to waste time reading subject lines any more. And I have two email accounts: one public, one private. The private one I give only to clients and friends. I always read that one.

My suggestion: don't use bulk email as a ploy. Only put people on your email list if they "opt-in." And only use email to give meaningful information, introduce new products or provide valuable offers. You'll get better results -- and reduce the cost of unsolicited email for all of us.

- Phil Sasso