Tuesday, April 2, 2013

Q&A: Tracking Sent Mail Messages - NYTimes.com

Q.

Is there any way to tell whether and when an e-mail I have sent has been received and opened by the recipient?

A.

Depending on the software used, certain e-mail programs and third-party services offer some ability to track the messages that are sent. These vary in approach and usefulness. Some mail programs require the recipient to click a button to acknowledge the message?s arrival ? which the recipient might ignore. (Wary people avoid clicking on anything in a message for fear of installing malicious software on their computers.)

Microsoft Outlook 2010 is one program that has a built-in tracking function that generates delivery and read receipt confirmations for messages that are sent. Apple?s Mail program for OS X does not support read receipt requests by default, but some users have found a workaround with some technical fiddling. And although read receipts are not automatically available for personal Gmail accounts, those using the Google Apps for Business version of the mail program can request the notifications.

If your software does not include a satisfactory message-tracking feature, a third-party ?certified mail? service could fill the void. For example, Boomerang, a browser plug-in for Gmail that costs $5 a month, offers read receipts among its features. Banana Tag is a similar service with comparable pricing that works with a few different mail programs.

Other paid services like ReadNotify and PointofMail are also out there, designed for those in marketing and advertising. You should read the online documentation and user reviews to decide if such a product fits your needs before putting up cash; keep in mind that some recipients may have privacy qualms or use mail formats that may not work well with tracking services.

Source: http://gadgetwise.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/04/01/qa-tracking-sent-mail-messages/

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