Effective email is either a pointer or notification

Email is the only decentralized communication platform that has widespread usage. And this is more amazing considering it was invented in 1971. Email is an amazing technology and has stood the test of time.

However, there are challenges with email:

1. It can be difficult to find information in emails at a later date.
2. Visibility is limited to the recipes of the email.
3. Discussions often don't happen in the context of the work being done.
4. Information is not organized very well.

I follow a few rules regarding email:

• Whenever possible, don't send information in email, but rather point people to information in a more permanent location (Git repo, Wiki, Discourse forum, etc.). If the information does not exist, create it, and then send the email.
• Keep project-related discussions in Git pull requests, issues, forums, etc.
• For transient discussions, use chat tools like Discourse chat, Signal, Discord, Slack, etc. This is more fun, and keeps email from clogging up with chatty stuff. This keeps the information accessible to everyone involved. It is also way more efficient as discussions and information are stored in the context of the work.

It is still very useful to receive email notifications when a piece of information or a discussion is updated. This is quick to process and gives everyone interested the opportunity to watch the stream of activity as it flows by. Most systems give you options for tuning how many email notifications you receive based on your time/interest.

Accessibility and context -- the keys to effective communication and information.