Prizes Awarded at the InventHelp-INPEX Inventor's Corner at the Home & Housewares Show Learn More >>
COMPANIES THAT HAVE ATTENDED INPEX®
E-mail Inventions Keep Inboxes Interesting
Checking your e-mail first thing in the morning has become as routine as that first cup of coffee. E-mail is exciting because it's fast and up-to-the-minute. You never know when there might a message from an old friend or a one-day sale from your favorite store.
Read more articles from the April 2009 issue of InventHelp's newsletter for inventors |
This month, InventHelp explores new e-mail inventions that keep us tuned in to our inboxes. From e-mails from the dead to e-mail goggles that prevent those – ahem! – regrettable late-night sends after a few drinks, e-mail's ever-evolving atmosphere keeps us on our toes!
According to Pew Internet and American Life Project data from March 2007, 91% of U.S. Internet users have gone online and sent or read e-mail. The same source suggests that 56% do this as part of a typical day. The number of e-mail users out there reached a staggering 1.2 billion in October 2007, and that number is only expected to rise. E-mail marketers send a whopping 183 million e-mails a day, and that's not counting the unauthorized or "spam" e-mails that are generated from rogue sources (like that "Nigerian prince" who wants to give you $50 million if you're willing to send him a "small advance").
Now that's a lot of numbers, but what does that mean for you? With such a bombardment of information, marketers have to invent new ways to keep your attention. Many messages that reach your inbox are dynamic, which means that they pull data specifically related to you. You may see your first name in the e-mail subject line, or your message may reference a previous purchase that you made. Other e-mail inventions allow marketers to target you based on what links you click in an e-mail or what you search for online.
Yahoo and Hotmail (which includes WindowsLive and MSN) have the most open accounts, but one clever Internet service provider is chipping away at that lead thanks to some clever e-mail inventions. Google's Gmail holds a relatively small portion of the marketshare, but its numbers are growing rapidly.
Part of that growth can be attributed to unique inventions like Mail Goggles, which are meant to prevent "drunk e-mailing." The service is activated during specified time periods (like late at night on Friday) and requires the user to solve a series of math problems before the e-mail can be sent. Another fun e-mail invention is Google's Do Not Send feature, which provides the user with a few seconds to rescind after clicking "send." Who hasn't clicked "send" by accident?
E-mail's evolving as a way for us to share personal information as well. Have you ever gotten an e-mail announcing a special sale and you know a friend would be interested? An invention called ShareThis allows e-mail subscribers to share a promotional offer on social networking sites like Facebook, MySpace and more.
Sure, sale swapping by e-mail is fun, but what about using e-mail for more macabre notifications? A few entrepreneurs out there see an e-mail as an easy way to notify friends and family about one important event – your death.
Companies like Deathswitch.com and Slightlymorbid.com are hoping that people will bank on the convenience of e-mail to let some friends and family know about their passing. Both sites will send out e-mails, provided by the deceased while they are living, to a pre-selected list. The e-mails could contain final wishes, important passwords or even love notes.
The two sites approach the notification process differently. Deathswitch uses a series of e-mail prompts sent at intervals determined by the user. If the prompt is not answered, Deathswitch will assume you've passed on and send the notification. Slightlymorbid uses a different technique. It required a designated friend or family member to pronounce the person deceased. Deathswitch charges a yearly fee of $20 while Slightymorbid charges a one-time fee of $10-$50.
The technology raises some interesting concerns. What if you're on a long, out-of-country vacation without access to e-mail? Or what if you and your friend have a fight and they decide to pronounce you dead? But, as we at InventHelp know, unusual inventions tend to generate controversy and their existence alone indicates there's a need out there!
We at InventHelp expect e-mail inventions to continue to evolve in new and useful ways. We'll watch for the latest trends and keep you informed – as long as we can drag ourselves away from our five inboxes!
|
|
home | about InventHelp | services | resources | contact | offices | site map | InventHelp Store | InventHelp's Invention & Technology News | InventHelp Blog | Avoiding Invention Scams