TSB

General => General Discussion and ??? => Topic started by: farmboygraphics on September 29, 2016, 04:56:58 PM

Title: Storing E-mails...how long?
Post by: farmboygraphics on September 29, 2016, 04:56:58 PM
How long do you save past emails?
Title: Re: Storing E-mails...how long?
Post by: Frog on September 29, 2016, 05:19:42 PM
I just checked, and my business emails are archived back to 2007.
They are compacted and even with graphics files, don't seem to be presenting a storage space issue.
More than once I have referenced emails from three or four years ago relating to present orders.
Title: Re: Storing E-mails...how long?
Post by: aauusa on September 29, 2016, 05:36:06 PM
i am an email hoarder so I have them going back 14 years.

not a big space issue,  I do have them in separate pst files,  so my main pst file does not get to large.
Title: Re: Storing E-mails...how long?
Post by: GoWestRob on September 29, 2016, 06:04:48 PM
As long as possible. I  keep them around until the mailbox starts to get full, then I sort by size and delete old attachments after confirming I have them backed up to our art files.  The contact list alone is worth it.  As long as you've got a clean way to keep your inbox current and organized so the 2007 emails don't keep popping up, i'd say keep emails around until you've got no choice but to delete.
Title: Re: Storing E-mails...how long?
Post by: GoWestRob on September 29, 2016, 06:05:14 PM
No one has made a Hillary joke yet?
Title: Re: Storing E-mails...how long?
Post by: tpitman on September 29, 2016, 09:13:24 PM
No one has made a Hillary joke yet?
Okay. I was gonna say "ask Hillary" . . .
Title: Re: Storing E-mails...how long?
Post by: GaryG on September 29, 2016, 10:27:56 PM
How long has someone needed an email from back then? ???

Ahh, yes some hoarders in here.
Haven't needed one past 6 months in 15 years.
Saving a few important ones, but wow.
Title: Re: Storing E-mails...how long?
Post by: 3Deep on September 29, 2016, 10:43:37 PM
We keep emails for that year and start removing them once the new year is in, old emails have saved our bacon from time to time ;)
Title: Re: Storing E-mails...how long?
Post by: Maxie on September 30, 2016, 02:50:04 AM
Do you store them in your outlook?
Title: Re: Storing E-mails...how long?
Post by: GraphicDisorder on September 30, 2016, 05:36:56 AM
Got mine back to 2001. Each year I archive out email from 2 years ago. So I have current year and previous year in outlook. I find its rare I need quick access to something older than that.
Title: Re: Storing E-mails...how long?
Post by: Doug B on September 30, 2016, 07:14:47 AM
Quote
I  keep them around until the mailbox starts to get full, then I sort by size and delete old attachments after confirming I have them backed up to our art files.

 - To the contrary, I keep all I can with attachments. Our art department is in a different city
and artists have turned over a bit in the last few years. New guys "can't find one that old".
Title: Re: Storing E-mails...how long?
Post by: aauusa on September 30, 2016, 08:05:53 AM
i use outlook and keep all emails with attachments.   emails from customer have there own folders ,   emails I send are stored in a yearly folder. 

i try to keep the inbox empty but filing new emails and making rules for new customer is a big issue alot of work.  I currently have close to 1000 emails in the inbox which need filing.    but then i send close to 5000 emails a year,  receive many more than that.
Title: Re: Storing E-mails...how long?
Post by: Dottonedan on September 30, 2016, 10:48:52 AM
I keep all emails, but to this day, I've only had to reference something older than a year, maybe 1-2 times.

So the real questions is,  Is it really that beneficial?  Probably not but we all think there will be that one time.
Title: Re: Storing E-mails...how long?
Post by: Sbrem on September 30, 2016, 10:49:28 AM
Almost everything, sorted in folders by years...

Steve
Title: Re: Storing E-mails...how long?
Post by: Prince Art on September 30, 2016, 10:59:14 AM
We store almost everything, and very rarely need it beyond a year or so. But I have had a few times when I've had to dig back several years for something - contact info, art, etc.  But some of that is due to the fact that we used to keep bad notes for the orders, and we've gotten a lot better about that. Now almost everything that's in an email is in the customer order notes, so that we can see the entire conversation in one document, even if it took weeks from first contact to delivered order.
Title: Re: Storing E-mails...how long?
Post by: Gilligan on September 30, 2016, 11:25:50 AM
What does it cost you to keep those emails?

What could it save you if you had one of those emails when you needed it one day?

Do the math.
Title: Re: Storing E-mails...how long?
Post by: Audifox on September 30, 2016, 01:28:23 PM
I save the emails in the clients art folder with the specific job. That way if there are any changes or discrepancies you have a hard copy.
Title: Re: Storing E-mails...how long?
Post by: Sbrem on September 30, 2016, 02:58:50 PM
What does it cost you to keep those emails?

What could it save you if you had one of those emails when you needed it one day?

Do the math.

Ditto, I have to look up old emails fairly frequently, say 7 - 10 years... they some times have attachments that didn't get to the archives, and the like.

Steve
Title: Re: Storing E-mails...how long?
Post by: royster13 on September 30, 2016, 09:56:44 PM
Been using Gmail since 2006 and have saved most everything since then...
Title: Re: Storing E-mails...how long?
Post by: farmboygraphics on October 01, 2016, 05:29:15 AM
I guess I can honestly say that I've never had to dig back through emails more than a year, if that. We've been backing artwork up (reliably) for the past 10 years, before that on flash drives that we have dups of in a filing cabinet.
Title: Re: Storing E-mails...how long?
Post by: CBCB on October 02, 2016, 08:47:32 AM
Been using Gmail since 2006 and have saved most everything since then...

Yep, same here. No reason to ever delete and they're all easily searchable. Super easy way to keep original client attachments in one place.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Title: Re: Storing E-mails...how long?
Post by: Frog on October 10, 2016, 11:56:19 AM
To illustrate our point of the value of keeping old emails:
I just bought new Norton Security Software (that can be a subject of its own).
$10 off with Fry's Promo Code.
$30 rebate
$20 upgrade rebate - The proof of ownership required was the thank you email from two years ago!
Title: Re: Storing E-mails...how long?
Post by: Gilligan on October 10, 2016, 12:48:13 PM
Avast man... free and rated #1