June 26, 2003

Putting all your email eggs in one basket
Posted by jbutler@bostonworks.com">Jason Butler at 9:22 AM -

The New York Times takes a look at what happens when you run all your email through work, then leave the company.

For much of the working population, e-mail is not only available but indispensable, a tool not just for work but for maintaining personal bonds. Like Ms. Finnie, many workers are accustomed to using a work computer and e-mail address to stay in touch with friends and family in the course of the day.

Yet with the convenience comes risk. Although many people are aware that they may be sacrificing privacy by using workplace e-mail, they are sometimes indiscreet in what they write. And for those like Ms. Finnie who spend years in a single job, the e-mail address becomes part of their identity. Leaving a job and its e-mail address can cause practical and emotional upheaval.

I'm lucky, I have my own domain so I don't have to worry about it.

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