BIll Clinton was the first president to send an email while in office. He wasn’t exactly hooked on e-mail though — he sent a grand total of two during his eight-year term.
Although one would think his Toshiba Satellite Pro computer would belong in a museum, it’s now in the hands of a private collector who is selling the laptop for $125,000 on eBay.
From the item description:
Clinton’s gift to the internet age: The actual Toshiba computer that President Bill Clinton used to send his only Presidential E-mail. It still has the historic message to John Glenn in space on the hard drive and disc and has outstanding documentation, including a signed photo of the President using the computer with an appropriate acknowledgment of the task and a signed print-out of the historic email also with John Glenn’s signature. This is the first email of a President and the first email of a President to outer space.
Doubting the authenticity of the laptop? Apparently, the laptop was owned by then-White House physician Robert Darling. It eventually made its way into the seller’s hands. Need more proof? The seller’s also including a press release and photograph of the laptop, signed by both Clinton and Glenn.
The eBay auction ends on Nov. 11, so if you’re interested, get on that.
The historic emails mentioned in the ad from Clinton are to former astronaut and senator John Glenn, who emailed the president from space on Nov. 6, 1998 after the late October launch of space shuttle Discovery:
“This is certainly a first for me, writing to a President from space…The whole crew was impressed that you would be the first President to personally see a shuttle launch,” wrote Glenn, who was then 77 years old and the oldest person to travel in space.
“Hillary and I had a great time at the launch,” responded Clinton on Nov. 7, 1988. “We are very proud of you and the entire crew, and a little jealous.”
The laptop still has the entire exchange on the hard drive — this is more than a decade before the rise of Gmail and cloud-based email.
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Do set up specific signatures for any email accounts you access on smartphones and tablets. The signature should inform people you're mailing from a mobile.
It's a great opportunity to apologize for the brevity of responses or even the odd grammar error or typo, without having to explain in the body of the message.
For example: Typing on an iPhone — excuse my clumsy thumbs!
Image courtesy of Alex
Within an organization, determine acronyms or short codes that speed up the email process.
Using such codes in the subject of a mail will let recipients see, at a glance, what needs action, what is for info only, what will take a while to read, etc.
If you're sending a very brief message, consider writing the entirety of the note in an email's subject line. Then, conclude with "EOM" (end of message) to save readers from even having to open the email.
"RR" could indicate "response required;" "NNTR" (no need to respond) is recommended for info-only emails and LONG in the subject lets people know they might want to wait until they have a spare 10 minutes, or decent connectivity, before attempting to read it.
Image courtesy of openroads.com
Don't get overly complex when formatting your email signature.
Complicated formatting, logos and graphics often get lost in translation, resulting in annoying attachments or "images not displayed" messages.
Your signature should be left-aligned, plain text, clean and simple.
Image courtesy of Paul Simpson
For pity's sake, keep emails as short as you possibly can, even if it means more time and effort at your end to achieve the correct wording.
Expecting recipients to wade through an essay when you could have communicated the jist in a few polite, pithy lines is the height of rudeness as far as email goes.
If you're worried people might think you rude, consider a brief message and a link to an organization like the Email Charter, explaining why your message is so concise.
Image courtesy of Melody Ayres-Griffiths
Unless you have been specifically asked to do so, never send large files as attachments.
An unexpected giant attachment can clog up inboxes, freeze mobile devices and generally annoy all involved.
Use a reputable file-sharing service if you'd like to send large files; simply provide a link to where those files can be downloaded.
Image courtesy of Nina Matthews
"Dear" is fine if you're sending an email to your aunt or have been instructed to write a formal email letter in the case of a job application, otherwise, it has no place in modern email comms.
"Hello," "Hi" or even just the person's name is a perfectly acceptable way to start an email.
Likewise, don't add an automatically generated sign-off greeting to your email signature, as one version does not necessarily fit all situations.
It may be fine to sign off all emails to colleagues with "Cheers" or "Best," but the phrasing could read too familiar in other situations.
Image courtesy of Eryn Vorn
Think about the structure of your automated out-of-office response.
If you're only out of the office for a day or so, consider putting that info in the subject field. That way, the recipient can see, without having to open the message, that you'll be returning soon.
If you're away longer and you'd like to include a short instruction for further info in your absence (e.g., call the office or email one specific person), try squeezing that information into the subject field, as well.
Image courtesy of Johannes Martin
It's all too easy to get caught up in the never-ending flow of email, but it's not the only method of communication open to us.
Always consider whether email is the correct communication medium, especially if you desire a timely response. A good rule of thumb: If it will take longer to write the email than pick up the phone, then why not just call?
Instant messaging is another option for short messages, simple requests or quick responses.
And finally, if you're in the same building or, even better, the same room as the person you're about to mail, why not just walk over and speak face-to-face?
Image courtesy of James Lee
[Source=Wired]
Do set up specific signatures for any email accounts you access on smartphones and tablets. The signature should inform people you're mailing from a mobile.
It's a great opportunity to apologize for the brevity of responses or even the odd grammar error or typo, without having to explain in the body of the message.
For example: Typing on an iPhone — excuse my clumsy thumbs!
Image courtesy of Alex
Within an organization, determine acronyms or short codes that speed up the email process.
Using such codes in the subject of a mail will let recipients see, at a glance, what needs action, what is for info only, what will take a while to read, etc.
If you're sending a very brief message, consider writing the entirety of the note in an email's subject line. Then, conclude with "EOM" (end of message) to save readers from even having to open the email.
"RR" could indicate "response required;" "NNTR" (no need to respond) is recommended for info-only emails and LONG in the subject lets people know they might want to wait until they have a spare 10 minutes, or decent connectivity, before attempting to read it.
Image courtesy of openroads.com
Don't get overly complex when formatting your email signature.
Complicated formatting, logos and graphics often get lost in translation, resulting in annoying attachments or "images not displayed" messages.
Your signature should be left-aligned, plain text, clean and simple.
Image courtesy of Paul Simpson
For pity's sake, keep emails as short as you possibly can, even if it means more time and effort at your end to achieve the correct wording.
Expecting recipients to wade through an essay when you could have communicated the jist in a few polite, pithy lines is the height of rudeness as far as email goes.
If you're worried people might think you rude, consider a brief message and a link to an organization like the Email Charter, explaining why your message is so concise.
Image courtesy of Melody Ayres-Griffiths
Unless you have been specifically asked to do so, never send large files as attachments.
An unexpected giant attachment can clog up inboxes, freeze mobile devices and generally annoy all involved.
Use a reputable file-sharing service if you'd like to send large files; simply provide a link to where those files can be downloaded.
Image courtesy of Nina Matthews
"Dear" is fine if you're sending an email to your aunt or have been instructed to write a formal email letter in the case of a job application, otherwise, it has no place in modern email comms.
"Hello," "Hi" or even just the person's name is a perfectly acceptable way to start an email.
Likewise, don't add an automatically generated sign-off greeting to your email signature, as one version does not necessarily fit all situations.
It may be fine to sign off all emails to colleagues with "Cheers" or "Best," but the phrasing could read too familiar in other situations.
Image courtesy of Eryn Vorn
Think about the structure of your automated out-of-office response.
If you're only out of the office for a day or so, consider putting that info in the subject field. That way, the recipient can see, without having to open the message, that you'll be returning soon.
If you're away longer and you'd like to include a short instruction for further info in your absence (e.g., call the office or email one specific person), try squeezing that information into the subject field, as well.
Image courtesy of Johannes Martin
It's all too easy to get caught up in the never-ending flow of email, but it's not the only method of communication open to us.
Always consider whether email is the correct communication medium, especially if you desire a timely response. A good rule of thumb: If it will take longer to write the email than pick up the phone, then why not just call?
Instant messaging is another option for short messages, simple requests or quick responses.
And finally, if you're in the same building or, even better, the same room as the person you're about to mail, why not just walk over and speak face-to-face?
Image courtesy of James Lee
Source : feeds[dot]mashable[dot]com
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