A NEW trend is emerging called ‘email bankruptcy' - the act of declaring your ‘inbox' bankrupt and starting over.
That is, all emails received up to the point of ‘email bankruptcy' being declared void – poof, they no longer exist.
New York-based venture capitalist Fred Wilson last week blogged: "I am so far behind on email that I am declaring bankruptcy.
"If you've sent me an email (and you aren't my wife, partner, or colleague), you might want to send it again. I am starting over."
Others followed suit - one wrote: "From here on out I am going back to voice communication as my primary mechanism for interacting with people," he said.
Imagine that, using the phone.
In fact, ‘voice deployment' (a phrase I just made up, maybe it'll catch on) is one potential strategy to thwart the email army.
Web Worker Daily has advised readers to use the following auto-responder: "Due to a technical issue, there is a possibility I may never see your email. If it is important, please call me at xxx xxx-xxxx. Sorry for any inconvenience."
But for some, that simply isn't an option.
Why?
Because they are email addicts who only realized the extent of their addiction when the BlackBerry* (aka ‘Crackberry') network went down for around 14 hours in North America recently.
"I push that button like a nervous habit, all day, all night. When you don't get your email you're like a drug user cut from your source," one user told the LA Times.
Another said: "I got a great night's sleep. I didn't hear the BlackBerry buzzing all night. I wouldn't want to see this happening all the time. But, occasionally, it's a blessing in disguise."
The same guy – a Washington lobbyist by the name of David Thomas – also said he was able to watch TV with his wife without interruption. Isn't he a load of fun?
The outage was also referred to at a White House press briefing. Spokesman Tony Fratto joked with reporters that "we've already started a 12-step group …. 14 hours into no BlackBerry".
No wonder America is having problems.
www.TravelTrends.biz *For those of you who have been living in a cave, a BlackBerry is a mobile communication device that allows users to receive and send emails, among other things.
