Themes:[Theme 1] [Theme 2] [Theme 3] [Theme 4]
Themes:
[Theme 1] [Theme 2]
[Theme 3] [Theme 4]
Universal E-Mail
[Theme Questions]
[Essays]
[Articles and Reports]
[News Stories]
[Online Resources]Please send in your submissions.
The primary theme for Tuesday, May 5 and Wednesday, May 6, 1998.
More people exchange e-mail every day. While achieving ubiquitous telephone service in the U.S. and around the world remains a significant challenge, e-mail is emerging as a universal communications tool among increasing segments of the world population.
The "Universal E-mail" theme addresses e-mail access and the ubiquitous use of e-mail. Use the following questions as guide for the conversation. Send in additional questions via our comment form.
- How many people have an e-mail address in the U.S.? In other countries? Do they use e-mail from home or work? Which geographic areas have the most e-mail addresses per capita in the world? What is the rate of growth in e-mail users and message volume?
- What can we learn from providers of e-mail accounts about broadening access to e-mail? What are the important lessons? What are the known benefits? Where are most of the real costs? Broadly, what is your vision of the future of e-mail?
- Should there be a public policy goal of universal e-mail (i.e. an e-mail address for everyone and the means to access it)? Has any governmental body considered this? Should e-mail access from homes or a nearby public location (see next theme regarding Universal Internet) be guaranteed?
- If the "market" brings sixty-five percent of individuals and most businesses online by 2005, what should be done now to build a more universal, effective and efficient e-mail infrastructure? Should there be unified "white page" directories? Will there be "unlisted" options? Privacy protections? As people change providers, how portable will their e-mail addresses be? What kind of "universal e-mail" system do we want/expect from the competitive marketplace? What, if anything, should be done to fill in the "gaps?"
Essays
Essays on this theme are available in the E-Mail for All Archive.
- Free E-mail Services, Future Factors - Shabbir J. Safdar.
- Universal email *is* important - Steven E. Miller.
- E-mail in Bangladesh - Shahidul Alam.
- Internet Community Address - Artur Serra, et. al.
- Safdar Essay Responses.
- On Universal Access to E-Mail - Charles Ardai.
- An Opportunity--Divide or Bootstrap - S. Yunkap Kwankam, Ph. D.
- The Email Discussion List - Ann K. Parsons.
- Empowerment Tool - Gary Garriott.
Comments & Notes
- Notes, Universal In-box - Steven Clift.
- Universal E-mail general comments 1.
- Universal E-mail general comments 2.
- Universal E-mail general comments 3.
Articles and Reports
Links to articles and reports will be added throughout the event. Please use the submission form to nominate the best reports and articles.
- UNIVERSAL ACCESS TO E-MAIL - Feasibility and Societal Implications - The RAND report from 1995. (Funding provided by the Markle Foundation. The seeds for the current outreach effort. Here is an abstract.)
- Universal Access to E-mail: RAND, Bellcore and a National Debate - Markle Foundation overview article.
- How to do just about anything by E-mail - by G.E. Boyd.
- How to Complain About Spam, or, Put a Spammer in the Slammer - by Phil Agre.
- Internet Messaging Primer - From Eudora (second link in PDF).
- Results from questionnaire on the future of e-mail - Technical.
- E-MATH - Guide to E-mail Based Volunteer Programs - Use of e-mail for mentoring.
News Stories
Links to recent news stories. Use the submission form to help us establish links.
- Studies Explore Possibilities of E-mail for Everyone - New York Times - Cybertimes.
- Take Control of Email (Before It Controls You) - Jesse Berst's ZDNet AnchorDesk.
- Compaq planning PC-TV convergence box - CNet News.Com.
- Survey warns of spam in U.K. - CNet News.Com.
- Article on new Netscape messaging server - PC Week - mentions "universal in-box."
- Information Week Survey: E-mail Ads Effective - internetnews.com.
- Wired News - News archive search for "e-mail".
- The Internet Newsletter - Legal news stories about e-mail.
- Netizens ponder universal access - CNET News.com
Online Resources
We won't recreate the wheel. Visit these "best of" sites for extensive information and background on this theme.
- Everything E-Mail - Extensive information for e-mail users.
- Guide to email - Mining Company - A similar service.
- E-mail Freebies - Directory of free e-mail services.
- Yahoo! - Electronic Mail - Always a good place to search.
- ZDNet - MailUser - Services and products.
- E-mail Web Resource Index - Technical details galore.
- Internet Mail Consortium - Internet mail standards and vendors.
- Electronic Messaging Association - Commercial users and vendors, includes Messaging magazine.
- IMAP Connection - Internet Message Access Protocol information.
- Coalition Against Unsolicited Commercial Email - Anti-Spam Effort.