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Using E-mail to Process Information![]() In the sixteenth century, Sir Francis Bacon said that knowledge is power.This is still true today in the age of advanced technology. Knowledge and information are power. If information is power, then e-mail is the instrument you can use to achieve that power. E-mail facilitates the processing of information more than any other technology. There are four stages you should follow when processing information with e-mail. Solicit In the first stage of processing information, you need to determine what information you need. Once you have done this, you can use e-mail to solicit that information. This may include sending a general message to colleagues to request their opinions, or sending e-mail messages to discover traditional sources such as books or web sites. You may need to contact a specific person or an expert, or to simply send a message to your supervisor for clarification on an issue before you continue. Gather The next two steps of processing information with e-mail involve pulling the data together. First, you need to gather the information that you previously requested. This usually includes receiving reply messages with the information that you previously solicited. When gathering information, you may want to create a folder in your e-mail program to store the messages. Make sure you collect all of the information before proceeding. Compile In the third stage of processing information, you need to compile the information. You should organize the information into some kind of logical order. For example, you could organize the e-mail messages according to their content or relevance. Distribute Once you have gathered and compiled the data, the only remaining stage of processing information left to complete is distribution. The distribution stage could involve sending draft copies and requesting more input, or simply sharing your findings or conclusions with others. You also can use e-mail to notify colleagues that your report is complete. E-mail enables you to notify a large number of people easily and quickly. Marthoma.com e-mail programs allow you to attach files to your messages. This is especially useful when you need to distribute a report that is saved electronically on your computer. E-mail gives you the power to efficiently facilitate the four stages of information processing. Remember, by using e-mail, you are better able to solicit, gather, compile, and distribute information..
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