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At the vastly simplified core of the complex technology, email can be explained as an exchange of information via the transfer of a file from one directory to another directory. During its fledgling phases, rudimentary “electronic mail” created a much needed means of inter-office communication between linked computers, active on the same server. These virtual Post-It notes provided Scientists at MIT the opportunity to convey important messages electronically and were built on the premise of making communication increasingly streamlined. As computer technology continued to flourish, the ability to send email communication outside the existence of a connected server created new opportunities for people to communicate in an efficient manner that was streamlined, concise, and cost-effective. By this time, the need to develop a virtual “post office” system was born, and the concept of email addresses delegating the final destination for an email was created, following the standard formula of user-name@computer-name.
From there, email took off in sync with the soaring popularity of the internet, and swiftly turned from a useful but rare tool, to a daily necessity to surviving life. Much like asking an individual for their phone number, email became a global standard for communication, and individuals were assumed participants in the world of email communication. With email previously utilized heavily by only students and inter-office professionals, Hotmail’s launch of free personal email addresses provided the infrastructure for mass market popularity of email for personal use. Simultaneously, the spread of personal email usage provided companies with a new platform for reaching target customers through email marketing efforts. During AOL’s reign, the signature “You’ve Got Mail” tagline provided rudimentary internet users with the joys of receiving email communication from co-workers, friends, and family, with the occasional targeted marketing effort from a forward-thinking company.
As a thirty-something who has come of age during the Golden Age of the internet, I have a plethora of nostalgic experiences of dial-up modem signals, coupled with the Wizard finally announcing that I’ve got mail. During those years, it was customary in my home for each member of the family to receive a designated time to utilize the family computer per night. Checking my email only once per day, I genuinely looked forward to putting some sort of clever “away message” up on my AIM (even though I was never really away), and checking my emails, feeling wildly important for receiving ill-destined credit card offers, and electronic birthday cards from distant relatives. Of course, during this period, checking email only once per day was customary, and more than inherently needed.
As personal digital technology continued to grow at a rapid pace, email capability was enabled on a mobile platform, taking the email experience on-the-go. With the ability to send and receive emails from virtually anywhere, the popularity of email as the preferred communication method across various needs continued to grow. In terms of email marketing, companies recognized individuals’ growing devotion to mobile technology as an effective opportunity to send targeted email campaigns. In fact, by 2012, it was estimated that over 40% of all marketing emails were sent via a mobile device.
During that time period, I certainly began to recognize my own dependence on email, and the vastly increased frequency with which I found myself refreshing my inbox while on the move. From my employer’s notes, to digital soiree invitations, and quick updates from faraway family members, I was receiving larger quantities of personal emails than ever. Simultaneously, my daily corporate emails grew exponentially as well, with daily coupons, deals, and advertisements beginning to litter my inbox. Before the ability to filter and categorize emails became a reality, all emails were grouped together, creating a somewhat chaotic existence between important correspondence, somewhat pertinent advertising, and complete junk.
While email was becoming the prevalent mode of communication for every aspect of existence, social media announcements also added to the overwhelming nature of the inboxes of the past. Between Myspace, Facebook, and a plethora of long-forgotten platforms that didn’t make the cut, every interaction on these platforms warranted an email documenting the update. Swiftly, developers of the original social sites recognized these practices as being counterintuitive and allowed users to change notification preferences. Unfortunately, by this point, email inboxes were already fully submerged under the weight of daily spam.
After deleting my juvenile AOL account, my grown adult email address became simply my full name, powered by Google. Loyal to my Gmail, I became well versed in the entire Google Suite, utilizing products professionally, and personally. After years of growing frustrations with the differences in organization between desktop and mobile modes, seemingly never-ending spam, and the sometimes repetitive nature of so much text, I found myself welcoming communication alternatives. Within my professional sphere, increasing numbers of partnering organizations were utilizing Slack, or even GChat. Personally, I began to rely increasingly on text messaging for interpersonal communication, in an effort to avoid further enmeshing myself in the tangled web that was my inbox.
Searching for an effective way to streamline my inbox, I recently stumbled a free app, appropriately called Unroll Me. After conducting preliminary research on email streamlining products currently available on the market, I felt confident that Unroll Me’s dual approach to resolving the modern mess of inbox clutter was the most comprehensive solution, and certainly worth a good old-fashioned try. Touted as a convenient tool for decluttering any inbox, Unroll Me stood out from the competition due to the app’s seemingly brilliant delivery system of desired emails. With total transparency, a sleek website effectively explaining the process to even the most tech-clueless amongst us, and over four and a half thousand positive ratings in the App Store, Unroll Me is a fully developed productivity tool dedicated to creating positive change for users. With consistent app updates that continuously make the app more convenient, competitive, and streamlined, the development team at Unroll Me works to continuously provide the most convenient services and maintain a flawless integration with constantly changing operating systems.
Tired of my fingers being sore from swiping a hundred emails into the trash every time I refreshed my inbox, I took the first step to regaining control over the monster that was my inbox. After downloading the free app from Apple’s App Store, I created an account with Unroll Me, and the app swiftly proved its worth almost immediately, constructing a comprehensive list of various emails that I was subscribed to. Though I recognized most of them from daily annoyances, off-the-wall offerings, and other fun experiences, Unroll Me found several redundant listserv subscriptions that I didn’t even know I received, and certainly would deny having actively signed up for.
By simply swiping in one direction or another, a practice I was already keenly attuned to, Unroll Me allowed me to dictate the fate of the entirety of these email subscriptions. Completely straightforward, this process allowed me to permanently unsubscribe from unwanted solicitations (goodbye, “Make money from your couch!” schemes), keep crucial emails in my inbox, and transfer everything else that was of some interest in what the company refers to as my daily “Rollup.” In my initial excitement, my exaggerated swipes could have inadvertently gotten me in trouble, as I accidentally chose to unsubscribe from a needed professional email blast. However, Unroll Me intuitively understood that this would happen, and provided a swift maneuver to recover the subscription seamlessly.
Through this initial selection process, Unroll Me allows users to declutter their subscriptions, and regain control over the content that makes it onto their radar. By effectively intervening in the overwhelming process of manually unsubscribing from every recurring email, Unroll Me provides the fresh start that so many email users desperately seek, but can never quite accomplished independently. After making these crucial selections, I was truly excited to experience my first day receiving Unroll Me’s bespoke daily digest, the “Rollup”. With various ways to customize the Rollup to fit my particular needs, I chose to receive my daily roundup of bespoke emails in the morning, when they could be best enjoyed with a much-needed java boost.
After following the simple prompts to fully take advantage of the app’s customizable nature, I was ready to actually enjoy a stress-free email browsing session. The following morning, I was greeted by a totally relevant round up of content from vendors that I actually cared about, local news sources and culturally relevant blasts, and coupons that I would actually benefit from. Not only was the content contained in the Rollup exactly what I asked for, and imagined enjoying, but the presentation was sleek, concise, easy to navigate, and thoroughly modernized.
Focused on providing aesthetically pleasing and effective photography, along with attention grabbing headlines, each email is presented in a thoughtfully curated manner, more consistent with a well-maintained Pinterest board, than a traditional inbox. Immediately, I felt as though I was able to actually focus on each email, actively taking in the information provided, rather than merely deleting everything quickly while reading every other word. I was able to capture needed coupons, promos, and other useful information, and effectively store content that would be needed for a later date.
Of course, after applauding myself for initially having it all together, and conquering my digital mess, I accidentally deleted an email containing a useful promo code that I wanted to utilize during the crucial process of ordering dinner. Almost instantly after cursing myself, I realized that Unroll Me creates a back-up folder of emails presented in the daily Rollup, which is stored in a traditional manner within each email address’ inbox. In a well-developed act of foreshadowing, developers at Unroll Me fully anticipated these accidental deletions, and thus, created a virtual Plan B that became a lifesaver around 7:00 PM. With this back-up folder, users can rest assured that their content will never become lost in the stratosphere of the internet, and can be accessed at any time.
After utilizing Unroll Me for about a week, I found myself thoroughly looking forward to receiving my daily Rollup, and taking a five minute break to treat the perusal of this digest like reading a digital magazine. As my schedule changed unexpectedly, I was ecstatic to be able to change the delivery time of the Rollup at a moment’s notice, another practical offering from Unroll Me. Understanding the multi-faceted lives of many overextended professionals, Unroll Me makes it incredibly easy to make the changes needed to maintain ease of use, and an enjoyable email experience.
In addition to these fantastic customization options, Unroll Me also allows users to toggle seamlessly between various email accounts, a feature perfect for individuals who have several personal emails, and a work email that they must keep up with regularly. In my case, the ability to seamlessly switch between email accounts allowed me to not skip a beat, and to remain constantly aware of the activity occurring throughout my various email accounts. Compatible with Gmail, Google Apps, Yahoo, AOL, and Outlook, Unroll Me allows users to combine email accounts across all platforms without having to open various tabs, pages, or apps simultaneously.
For a young professional with seemingly never ending responsibilities, family members to care for, and a bustling freelance gig to top it all off, Unroll Me became a crucial tool toward successfully controlling email content, streamlining email presentation, and even leveraging a moment of zen via the aesthetically pleasing nature of the daily Rollup. Vastly useful in various applications, Unroll Me can be beneficial to all users. From older adults who prefer a simpler email experience, to students who do not want to be bothered by endless spam in the midst of writing important papers, Unroll Me can create a more pleasant email experience for users across all generations, with varied interests, and various levels of tech savvy.
With a vast focus on the customer experience, Unroll Me leads the way as a productivity company. In today’s fast-paced globalized world, time is seemingly the most precious commodity. As a generality, individuals are spending more time working, multi-tasking, commuting, participating in various chores, working second jobs, and being otherwise distracted by a never ending multitude of tasks. Thus, regaining a few moments of free time via increased productivity is a thoroughly modern concept that is increasingly relevant in today’s cultural atmosphere. For Unroll Me, this leads to evolving opportunities for the company to further develop the app, and impact increasing numbers of individuals in a positive manner. Through future integration of other productivity tools within the app, like an intuitive calendar function that draws events directly from email communication, or a tool that automatically captures and stores all coupon codes organically found within emails, Unroll Me can continue to grow as a personal productivity giant. As average individuals will continue to seek streamlined digital management, Unroll Me can prosper, grow, and develop further based directly on ebbing and flowing demand.
Through the carefully constructed platform, Unroll Me provides all users with a bespoke email experience, and has proven to be the most effective digital decluttering solution. Unlike competitors within this arena, who merely offer unsubscription options, Unroll Me takes the streamlining of the average email experience one step further. By integrating the totally customizable daily Rollup, Unroll Me creates a visually streamlined email browsing experience more akin to browsing a high-end website, or carefully curated mood board. By showcasing content of interest in a thoroughly sleek manner, the daily Rollup becomes an event to look forward to, rather than the dreaded task of merely swiping incessentantly to delete hundreds of spam emails. With seamless functionality across all platforms, and technologies, Unroll Me is the perfect tool for all users, and can be effectively utilized in a professional sphere, as well as within the personal realm.
Immediately after downloading the app, I was more than happy with the success rate of unsubscription from various listservs, which saved me from having to perform this task manually, and undeniably unsuccessfully. In a true test of functionality, I found myself still happily using the app months after the initial download, providing its’ efficacy within my daily life. In a digital age filled with an overabundance of options, and various apps offering similar solutions, Unroll Me has proven to be wildly effective, visually streamlined, and aesthetically pleasing on a daily basis. In the quest for regaining control over my out of control inbox, Unroll Me has played a crucial part in not only conquering the chaos, but maintaining the peace long after my initial purge. With minimal upkeep required, it is the perfect app for users who are eager to regain control over their inbox, and for those seeking to enjoy the feeling of browsing through pertinent emails. While the days of that cheerful “You’ve got mail” announcement may be long gone, and the simple days of receiving only one email per day may never return, Unroll Me is the best tool for recapturing the wonders of email, and for reverting email back to its purest form, as an effective tool for communication.
Of course, if you want to unsubscribe from any email lists there is also an easy and effective option. Unsubscriber from Clean Email helps you to get rid of email you don’t need in just a click. For more information click here
