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How Slack, email and Zoom are making us less productive and more overwhelmed

Nov 1, 2023
Digital platforms have become especially difficult to manage with the rise of remote work.
While digital platforms like email, Microsoft Teams and Slack have increased productivity in some ways, they also mean more time responding to messages and less time accomplishing work tasks.
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PR emails are a given in the publicity business, but do they really work?

Nov 29, 2022
Slate writer Dan Kois said "yes" to most of the publicity emails he got in a single day. In return, he got a firsthand look at how the publicity business works.
"I get a lot of PR emails every day," said Slate writer Dan Kois. "You know, over 100 just sort of roll in."
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Could this meeting be an email?

Nov 16, 2022
One worker’s experience with a meeting-free week.
As an experiment in productivity, software company Zapier canceled all meetings for a week. Above, a cat attends a Zoom session.
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Automatic Reply: "Gone fishin'"

Jul 31, 2019
Tom Hanley keeps his out-of-office email short and sweet.
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"Please call the number set below this explanatory rhyme"

Jul 9, 2019
Dr. Sybert saw your email, but just doesn't have the time. Instead you can look forward to her auto-reply that rhymes.
Virginia Sybert, a clinical professor of medical genetics at the University of Washington, answers her emails with rhymes.
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The Source Code: Ajit Pai

Sep 5, 2017
In our full interview with Ajit Pai, he talks about broadband deployment, net neutrality and coffee.
Ajit Pai talks with Molly Wood about his giant coffee mug.
Stephanie Hughes / Marketplace

Blog: How to write better work emails

Jun 27, 2017
Kai and Molly spoke to Jennifer Romolini, chief content officer of Shondaland.com, about her new book, “Weird in a World That's Not: A Career Guide for Misfits, F*ckups, and Failures”
We all have to send email for work. Here's how to get better at it.
PAUL J. RICHARDS/AFP/Getty Images

For public good, not for profit.

I just copied your boss on this email

Apr 20, 2017
Cc'ing supervisors erodes trust between co-workers, a new study says.
Some co-workers use email's cc function as a weapon.
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Hackers hit Yahoo again in largest data breach ever

Dec 15, 2016
Yahoo users list many reasons to stay loyal.
 

 
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Yahoo doesn't deny it scanned users' emails

Oct 5, 2016
A company statement says the story is "misleading," but not inaccurate, while the New York Times gets more details.
 
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