Spam doesn't kill appetite for email

By Lisa M. Bowman

Spam hasn't killed enthusiasm for email among US workers, according to a new study on email use in the workplace.

A full 52 per cent of respondents surveyed in a Pew Internet & American Life Project study reported receiving no spam in their work in-boxes. Another 19 per cent said spam accounted for less than 10 per cent of the mail they received.

The study found that the average worker spends about a half hour each day handling email and sends or receives a total of about 15 emails.

The results surprised even the researchers, who said they expected to find evidence of a growing backlash against email, as many people and businesses are increasingly overwhelmed by unsolicited messages.

Instead, researchers said spam hasn't hit most workplace in-boxes with the same vigour as that of personal email accounts that explode with unwanted messages.

"There is a huge distinction between spam in personal email accounts and spam in the workplace," said Deb Fallows, the study's author.

Fallows said mining corporate email systems for addresses isn't as easy and cost-effective for spammers as processing searches on public accounts such as Yahoo, America Online and Hotmail.

She also said people aren't as likely to make their work email addresses public. Instead, people tend to use personal addresses when posting to newsgroups or other places where spammers often mine for targets.

What's more, the study found that those who are overwhelmed by spam at work constitute a small but growing group of "power emailers".

"This group matches the profile of the work emailer we read and hear most about in the press reports and in internet lore - the worker who is inundated by email and who spends long hours dealing with it," the report said.

About 11 per cent of the power emailers said they were overwhelmed with handling email, compared with just two per cent of nonpower emailers.

The power emailers, who made up 20 per cent of those surveyed, received about 50 messages each day and sent more than 20. Those people were also the most likely to check their in-box several times an hour, and many said they spend two hours a day dealing with email. Fallows said the power emailers tend to have jobs related to technology or the internet.

US workers overall gave email high marks, with nearly three-quarters saying that it helps them communicate with more people and saves time. About 59 per cent said email has improved teamwork. However, about a quarter of emailers said the messages distracted them, and one fifth said email adds stress to their job.

Respondents also said email was not the best medium for heart-to-heart conversations. About 85 per cent of those who email at work said they preferred face-to-face contact when talking to someone about workplace problems and sensitive issues.

The "Email at Work" survey polled 1,003 Americans who use email at work.

Lisa M. Bowman writes for News.com