Posts by "Angel Mendoza"

Gmail

What began as a cool place to sit…

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Earlier this year, my teammates Marlee and Ric began an endeavor to reimagine a piece of the office that we were not using fully. A corner we used for desks and a little bit of clutter. Thus, the challenge began by manually disassembling the furniture, adding two couches and a rug, filling it with beanbags and plants, and forcing everyone to call it the chillout zone.

ShuttleCloud Office Space

The aim was a space designed to promote relaxation, creativity, and socialization among us. It’s where team members can take a break from their workday, recharge their batteries, and connect with others.

Kennedy Conspiracy Presentation

It’s been an excellent spot for impromptu meetings, brainstorming sessions and gather ups. Then came the idea of installing a projector (not a simple task), another great addition to the space. We use it to take a break from work and enjoy entertainment, showcase our ideas to our colleagues — or watch Real Madrid beat Chelsea in football.

The shelf with lots of plants is a great way to add some greenery. Plants improve air quality and have a calming effect on people (see Chelsea losing above). Add that to the abundance of natural light, making the room feel brighter and more inviting.

How I Started Selling Beer Presentation

So what began as a cool place to sit has become our favorite part of the office, and it is not for a lack of meeting rooms.

not us watching The Crown
Email Gmail Yahoo

4 reasons email is still popular

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Despite the rise of other forms of communication, such as social media and messaging apps, email remains a widely used and important tool for communication.

There are a few reasons why email has continued to be popular:

  1. Email is universal: Almost everyone with an internet connection has an email address, making it a widely accessible form of communication.
  2. Email is professional: Many people still view email as more formal and professional communication, especially in business settings.
  3. Email is flexible: Email can be used to send various messages and documents, including text, images, and attachments.
  4. Email is reliable: Emails are typically delivered quickly and reliably, making it a dependable way to communicate.

Overall, while other forms of communication may have gained popularity in recent years, email remains a vital tool for communication and is unlikely to go away anytime soon.

A History:

The first email was sent in 1971 by computer engineer Ray Tomlinson, who used the @ symbol to connect the sender’s name and the recipient’s address.

In the decades that followed, email became increasingly popular as more and more people gained access to the internet. Today, email is used by billions of people around the world for both personal and professional communication.

One of the main benefits of email is that it allows for quick and easy communication over long distances. Unlike traditional mail, which can take days or weeks to be delivered, emails can be sent and received almost instantly. This makes it a valuable tool for businesses, as it allows for the rapid exchange of information and documents.

Email has also played a role in shaping the way we work. Many people now use email as a primary means of communication with their colleagues, even when they are in the same office. This has led to the rise of remote work, as people can collaborate and communicate with each other from anywhere in the world.

Email Gmail Outlook

The Data Transfer Project (DTP)

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The Data Transfer Project (DTP) is an open-source initiative that aims to provide a common framework for transferring data between online service providers in a secure and user-friendly way. It was launched in 2017 by Google, Microsoft, Facebook, and Twitter to make it easier for users to move their data between different online platforms.


One of the main goals of the DTP is to give users more control over their data and to make it easier for them to switch between different online service providers. With DTP, users can transfer their data directly from one service to another without going through the process of downloading and uploading files manually. This can be particularly useful for users who want to switch to a new service but don’t want to lose their data.

DTP is based on open standards and APIs, which means that any online service provider can use it to enable data transfer for their users. This allows users to quickly move their data between various platforms, including social media, email, cloud storage, etc.

DTP is an open-source project, meaning anyone can contribute to its development. If you’re interested in getting involved, you can learn more on the DTP website: https://datatransferproject.dev/

Gmail

Why can JMAP be important?

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JMAP (JSON Meta Application Protocol) is a protocol for synchronizing data between a client and a server. It is designed to be simple, efficient, and easy to use, providing a common, language-agnostic way for client applications to access and manipulate data stored on a server.

JMAP is designed to be an alternative to other protocols such as IMAP (Internet Message Access Protocol) and SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol) for email, and CalDAV (Calendaring Extensions to WebDAV) and CardDAV (Address Data Access and Versioning) for calendar and contact data. It aims to substitute email-related standards that have existed for over 20+ years.

JMAP is potentially significant because it provides a more modern and efficient way to access and manipulate data stored on a server. It is also intended to be easier to use and more flexible than existing protocols, which might make it more appealing to developers and users.

Additionally, because JMAP is language-agnostic, it can be used with any programming language, making it easier for developers to build applications that interact with data stored on a server.

Ok, cool; so when? It’s up to the Gmail, Microsoft, Yahoo, and 🍏 s of the world. They control the email space and have invested heavily in their own APIs, such as the Gmail API (https://developers.google.com/gmail/api/guides).

JMAP will only get adoption IMO if there is buy-in from the email market giants. At this moment, I can’t pinpoint what that benefit would be for Gmail et al.

Email Gmail

GDPR and SCC

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The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is a regulation in EU law on data protection and privacy for all individuals within the European Union (EU) and the European Economic Area (EEA). It also addresses the export of personal data outside the EU and EEA.

Under the GDPR, there is a concept called the “data protection officer” (DPO), an individual or position responsible for overseeing the organization’s data protection strategy and compliance with the GDPR. The DPO is required for certain types of organizations, such as those that process large amounts of sensitive personal data or engage in regular and systematic monitoring of data subjects on a large scale.

In addition to the DPO, the GDPR also introduces the concept of a “supervisory authority,” which is an independent public authority responsible for ensuring the GDPR is applied and enforced in the member state where it is located.

The GDPR imposes significant fines for non-compliance and gives individuals the right to sue organizations for damages caused by a breach of their personal data. It is important for organizations to understand their obligations under the GDPR and to take steps to ensure compliance.

UPDATED Dec 22th (New SCC)

The new standard contract clauses for GDPR are a set of legally binding requirements that companies must adhere to when transferring personal data to a third party outside of the EEA. The new standard contract clauses include provisions on data protection, data security, data retention, and data rights. They also outline the responsibilities of both the data controller and the data processor, as well as the rights and obligations of individuals whose data is being processed.

The new standard contract clauses are intended to provide a consistent and reliable framework for data protection, ensuring that companies can continue to transfer personal data across borders while still upholding the principles of the GDPR.

Email Gmail Outlook

How an email is sent:

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Emails are sent using the Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP). When you send an email, your email client (such as Microsoft Outlook or Gmail) sends the email to an SMTP server, which then sends the email to the recipient’s email server. The recipient’s email server then delivers the email to the recipient’s email client (such as Outlook or Gmail).

Here is a simplified overview of the process:

  • You compose and send an email from your email client.
  • Your email client connects to an SMTP server and sends the email to the server.
  • The SMTP server looks up the domain of the recipient’s email address and sends the email to the recipient’s email server.
  • The recipient’s email server receives the email and stores it in the recipient’s mailbox.
  • The recipient’s email client retrieves the email from the mailbox and displays it to the recipient.

This process happens quickly and automatically, so you don’t need to worry about the details. You just need an email client and an internet connection to send and receive emails.

Gmail

What are MX Records?

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MX (Mail Exchange) records are a type of DNS (Domain Name System) record that are used to specify the servers that handle email messages for a particular domain. They are used to route email messages to the correct mail servers and are a crucial part of how email works on the internet.

Here’s how MX records work:

When someone sends an email to an address at a particular domain, the sending mail server looks up the MX records for that domain to find out which server is responsible for handling email for that domain.

The sending mail server then connects to the server specified in the MX record and delivers the email to it.

The server specified in the MX record is responsible for delivering the email to the correct mailbox for the recipient.

MX records are usually stored in the DNS records for a domain and are managed by the domain’s administrator. It is important to have correct and up-to-date MX records for a domain, as this ensures that email sent to addresses at that domain will be delivered correctly.

Domain

What is DNS?

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Domain Name System (DNS) is a decentralized system that translates human-readable domain names into computer-readable IP addresses. It is a key component of the internet, as it allows users to access websites using easily remembered names rather than having to remember the numerical IP addresses of the servers hosting the websites.

DNS functions as a directory service that maps domain names to IP addresses. When a user types a domain name into their web browser, the browser sends a request to a DNS server to resolve the domain name into an IP address. The DNS server responds with the IP address of the server that hosts the website, and the browser then sends a request to that server to retrieve the website.

DNS is a distributed system, meaning that it relies on a network of servers located around the world to resolve domain names. When a DNS server receives a request to resolve a domain name, it checks its own records to see if it has the IP address for the domain. If it does not, it sends a request to other DNS servers to try to resolve the domain name. This process continues until the domain name is resolved or it is determined that it does not exist.

Overall, DNS plays a crucial role in enabling users to access the internet and navigate to the websites they want to visit.

Gmail

What will replace email?

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I sometimes get asked, is email dead or what will replace email: The answer for me is easy; I believe that more email will replace email. Yes, Slack, Microsoft Teams, Whatsapp, etc., allow us to communicate more efficiently within our organization and make our teams less reliant on email.

IMO this, in return, makes email more valuable; it helps us remove the clutter from our inboxes. It allows email to shine:

Current landscape and future growth of email:

  • Today, there are over 4.0 billion email users worldwide, and this figure is expected to grow to over 4.3 billion by year-end 2024.
  • Revenues for all segments of the Email Market combined are expected to total over $46.8 billion in 2020 and will grow to over $84.2 billion by year-end 2024, an average annual growth rate of 16%. This revenue growth is driven mainly by the migration of on-premises mailboxes to cloud mailboxes (if you need some help in this regard, email the ShuttleCloud team :p ).
  • Total worldwide email traffic, including both Business and Consumer emails, is estimated to be over 306 billion emails/day as of year-end 2020, growing to over 361 billion emails/day by the end of 2024.

To quote an old adage, quality over quantity is what I believe we will see in the years to come. I wonder if the future of email is following the trend in Europe, where more and more people seem to be shifting to their national email providers: https://blog.shuttlecloud.com/europe-email-providers-germany-france-netherlands-poland-italy/

Gmail

5 ways to stay on top of your inbox

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5 ways to stay on top of your inbox

Does this sound familiar to you?

Unread emails sparked a heated discussion on Twitter asking the question: What number is appropriate? This identified the two obvious types of email users:  The ones that have an overstuffed inbox, bursting with thousands of unreads. And people that need to compulsively get it to zero (I am definitely the second type!).

So why do people leave messages unread? Is the amount awaiting them so overwhelming that you don’t even dare to open them?

So how do we get to INBOX ZERO? It is possible, don’t worry – I’m here to help. So open your inbox and let’s get started:

1.  Get those notifications set

Are you working on a difficult task and need to focus? It’s okay to turn your notifications off, but really, you do need to turn them back on again. It’s sensible to avoid any distraction during some tasks, but don’t accumulate emails for too long or else the beast becomes untamable!  

Schedule blocks for reading and responding to emails and don’t skip them!

2.  Know your enemy

Once checked, you know what you are dealing with. Better the devil you know than the devil you don’t.

Move Emails to folders, respond to emails that need to be responded immediately, and leave open emails that you don’t know how to respond to at the moment, but that you need to respond to on the same day.

This way, you’ll be more relaxed taking care of other tasks

3.  Folders– your besties

The goal is to declutter your Inbox, so come up with some smart specific folders and some more generic ones like “Administration” or “Invoices”. Are you working with clients? Name folders according to them. This makes it also easier to find specific emails when you need them.

Leave only emails in your inbox that you need to respond to or that are important to follow-up on. You can mark them with a star or a flag to visually distinguish more important ones from the rest.

Everything that doesn’t pay the rent, delete it!

3.1  Gmail is special

Gmail needs some special care. Instead of folders like other email clients, Gmail uses labels to categorize messages. Each label name can be found in the sidebar, but emails don’t actually move there, when you label them. They work more like post-it’s, so when you select a label, you’ll see all the messages you assigned to it.

That’s why a single message can have many labels but be present only in one folder.

4.  Not only one to rule them all

Finally, I can use a Lord of the rings quote in my blogpost!:

One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them, One Ring to bring them all, and in the darkness bind them.[1]

It might sound extreme, but emails keep coming and once zeroed out, you must take care of that Inbox never overflowing again. For that you don’t only need one rule, but the amount that is fitting for you to rule them, find them and keep unimportant ones out of sight.

Rules help you to identify emails by subject or sender. You can automatically forward them in the correct folder, assign them the proper labels, or even delete them.

5.  Unsubscribe from that Newsletter now!

There might have been a time where you made use of those daily diet recipes and sneaker offers, but if you keep on deleting them without a glance, do yourself a favor: Open that email, scroll until the end and click “Unsubscribe”.

Followed all the steps and got a total of zero in your inbox? That does feel good, hey?

From now on you are going to be more focused, relaxed and organized. Don’t let email master you, master your Emails!

[1] J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, The Fellowship of the Ring, “The Shadow of the Past“