On Out of Office emails

 August 26, 2024

This summer, I found myself multiple times reading out-of-office emails. Actually, this is not a new phenomenon: it has happened every summer since I started working. Obviously, it also happens outside the summer, but it is far easier to notice it during the summer.

I think the majority of people should not configure an out-of-office replyer.

By recipient

Many people might write to you and receive an out-of-office email if you have set up an out-of-office replayer. Let’s analyze the various personas that might send you emails and whether the out-of-office message makes sense for them.

An idea to fight spam

 February 28, 2013

Today I would like to give you an idea on how to implement a spam system that can reduce some kind of spam.

The problem

Sometimes a company or a politician, that does not respect the usual privacy policy, continues to send e-mails even if the user already tried to unsubscribe.

My postulates

1. The people who usually send this kind of e-mail are not very familiar with how e-mail work or how the privacy policy works. Obviously there is the case in which they are malicious, but I prefer to think that the biggest part of these people are in the first two cases.
2. These people probably will have issues removing a person from a mailing list, therefore they will tend not doing it, unless they have an advantage.
3. Is really annoying sending an e-mail to 10 contacts and receive 8 mail-delivery-subsystem errors.

My approach

My approach is dividable in two directions that have to be implemented as features from the e-mail provider: