PNGMK wrote:Email is an insane waste of time. When did work become 'just' communicating?
I rememebr not using email much at all until I moved back to Singapore in 05 where suddenly it became THE thing to do at work.
I'm personally trying to use phone calls a lot more and email for documentation / spreadsheet etc transfer only.
It works great for code monkeys. For example, if I want to ask someone about something and calling just won't cut it, at least I can put code, diagrams or figures in email.
Moreover, if you have a list of questions/issues, they can be addressed point by point. Having people to do so, however, is another thing.
And
if used properly, email leaves a trail so that further down the line, someone can say "but you said so in that email" and have proof without resorting to a formal document.
Those said, a lot of people do misuse email--like you suggested, some people regard sending/replying to email as work when it's just another tool.