Tags for e-mail "subject"
| tag | content |
|---|---|
| [document] | attachment (.txt,.xls,.pdf,.ppt,Wiki,*) |
| [link] | interesting url |
| [signed] | signed/authenticated with your public key |
| [encrypted] | encrypted content, will require your private key and my public key |
| [info] | some generic info |
| [OFFICIAL] | urgent priority 1 communication (also set "urgent" SMTP flag) |
| [personal] | personal e-mail |
| [request] | ask me a favor |
| [official] | any priority official communication |
| [comment] | your comment on an idea/issue |
| [opinion] | your opinion on someone else's communication |
| [subject] | an email concerning a "subject" (replace "subject" with math, compilers, history, etc.) |
| [ping] | just keeping in touch |
| [serious] | More important than [urgent] and [official] requiring an emergency. |
| [urgent] | Important and needs immediate attention. You can also set this on your mail client |
I prefer "plain-text" e-mail to "HTML" e-mail which is sometimes rendered incorrectly by mail programs. I use the above tags for the "subject" field. This helps me filter e-mail messages. You can ignore the square-braces if it is too much trouble or use them.
Here are a few examples:
- subject: [request] bring me my Ubuntu KK CDs to office tomorrow
- subject: [info] linux 2.6.8.1 seems broken with the new patch-kernel scripts
- subject: [link] linux-2.6.8.1-kgdb release
- subject: [official] we need to be present for the ARC700-tools-linux release on Oct-01-2004
- subject: [personal] a few words in private
Keeping the e-mail relevant to the subject and short can also help in parsing through it faster. I find it an indispensable tool while working online. I have authored a short article ( PDF ) on using e-mail effectively in the workplace. This is quite relevant to working online.
