This is the beginning of my on-line Law Office Computer Survival Guide. It is very much a work in progress, so stay tuned and please send suggestions.

Email Notes re rules:

Mailing lists have been driving everyone crazy, so here are some ways to cope:

(This page is incomplete, and I'm not an expert on every package. If you know how to do it with a package not mentioned here, please let me know, and I'll post it. -- Jim Eidelman)

1. If your software doesn't support rules to manage your inbox, and if you have control of your email so that you can set up multiple mailboxes:

Set up alternative addresses for different lists, so that each list has its own inbox.

(A variation of this is to have someone else, such as your secretary or a paralegal, but the mailbox on the list.)

2. Use rules to manage your in-box. With recent versions of many email packages, you can create a folder for each mailing list, and set up the rule to automatically route the mail into the folder instead of your inbox. For example, for the ABA Law Practice Management Section mailing list, I set up a folder called "LPMS", and set up the rule to automatically route all messages that have "lpm-actives@mail.abanet.org" in the address to go into the LPMS file.

Here is where to find some help on how to set this up:

Software Method Links and info
Microsoft Outlook Rules Wizard For info and to download the Wizard, click here:

www.microsoft.com/outlook/documents/out97rw/rw1.htm

Setting up the rules looks like this:

(Also note that Outlook 97 now has preview pane available for the interface. Highly recommended for Outlook users. Click here to download the "3 Pane Extention" from the Microsoft "Outlook Free Stuff" page.  Outlook 98 and 2000 have it built in.)

Microsoft Internet Mail (the free program that comes with Internet Explorer) Inbox Assistant To filter incoming messages:
1 On the Mail menu, click Inbox Assistant.
2 Click Add.
3 Type the criteria you want the incoming message to match.
4 Click the folder you want the matching incoming messages moved to.
 Pronto Rules Pronto was named PC Magazine's email product of the year, and has an elegant rules system built in. You can download it for free from CommTouch. Click here to hear the multimedia review in PC Magazine. (To skip the multimedia and just get the text, click here )
Eudora

(Versions for Windows, Windows 95, and Mac)

 Rules & Mailboxes Eudora is the most popular stand-alone email package for Internet mail.

From a PC Magazine Article:

By default, Eudora stores messages in the in-box and
out-box, but you can create a simple or confusing system
of folders within mailboxes and mailboxes within folders.
An elaborate system of filing rules automatically moves
messages to folders--without sending to them to the
in-box first--and these rules optionally assign priority and
color coding to stored messages, but they can't send
automated replies.

Version 3.0 of Eudora, will add message templates,
enable automated replies, enhance the rules feature,
and let you limit text searches to one mailbox or folder.
     

3. Last resort: Withdraw from the mailing list.

While you were out. 

 

Thought you'd enjoy the best "out of the office" automated response

email that I've ever seen. From John Alber at Bryan Cave.

 

-----Original Message-----

From: John Alber [mailto:jialber@bryancavellp.com]

Sent: Thursday, June 03, 1999 11:27 PM

To: eidelman@lawtech.com

Subject: RE: Moving ahead and my "whole product" memo

 

While you are reading this automated reply, chances are I'm on the beach at an extremely remote location, one far from the hum of computers and the chirp of phones. If you have an urgent IS matter, please contact the Help Desk or Sharon Gietl (2464). If you must track me down, Donna Cyvas (2416) can dispatch a message to the general store at which I will occasionally stop for tropical drink supplies. Otherwise, I will reply when I return June 14.

(c) Jim Eidelman 1997

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