No One Reads Email Anymore

Which isn't true. In fact, email is doing quite well. The robots tell me that there are 4.6 billion users in 2025 and that there will be 4.8 billion in 2027. Your average email user receives 80 emails per day, with 50% of those being spam. Sad. Most check their mail on a mobile device. Interesting.

Email is a protocol that is infrequently updated. The most recent significant update to IMAP was in 2021, and the major vendors have failed to adopt these changes because if it ain't broke, don't fix it.

Email has changed, though. This used to be where we communicated with each other. It was the first digital connection you made before the advent of social media. Now, it's less social and more transactional. This is not where you have a conversation with someone; this is where United tells you that you bought a ticket, this is where brands you care about send you marketing, and this is where you read newsletters.

Hi, glad you're here.

The plan here is to continue with broadcast Rands-related content for both the blog and the pod. I just published the cheat sheet that I vetted with y'all over at the other place.

As I mentioned before, I have a couple more of these cheat sheets up my sleeve, but the organic reaction to the first will determine if I continue this project.

I have five more Important Things queued up. Just waiting on artwork from Lyle.

But mostly, I wanted to ensure that the new newsletter system is working.

Have a lovely week,

Rands