[crazedmongoose2003]

This is I guess only relevant for people who have/do work in offices. I myself work part time in a law firm. What do you guys prefer, emails or memos?

This arose from a discussion when I learnt that in modern web companies like AOL and stuff they pretty much don't use memos for inter/intra office communication. Whilst memos and faxes are the norm in old sectors.


I personally like written/typed and printed out memos. There's just something solid and nice about them. And I'd severely challenge the notion that they're less efficient than emails, which is what most people, especially of this generation, believes.

Because yes, emails are easier to type and take less time, you don't have to print it out or god forbid write it. It's instantaneous. BUT, I read a study recently saying the average officer worker takes 17 minutes to get back to work from checking an email. What can you waste time on from reading a memo? Scratch your neck and stretch a bit after?

Email may be faster but you're probably losing much more time on them. Come on, who doesn't do the cursory facebook check after reading an email?

[Boneguard]

It depends.

If it's with me coworker we tend to simply talk to each other. If it,s with my superior (who are in a different building) email.

[deraj]

I like memos. I never read my emails, and although memos clutter my desk, I use the backs of them for scrap paper. I must say though, it does seem like a waste of paper.

[crazedmongoose2003]

Yeah I use the back of waste paper for most memos.

But then of course there is a good chance that the front of those papers were also memos. :-\

[ParadoxRifts]

It depends entirely on how dysfunctional the office is, but for a general rule I'd have to say that memos are for confirmed friendlies while everyone else will get emails.

[Restayvien]

We use Outlook to email each other. We're not using personal accounts such as Yahoo or Hotmail so there's no need to open a browser window.

It also allows us to log all important conversations in our office management software (SuperOffice) and helps us to keep track of the flow of info.

[Thor{DoH}]

We use email and instant messaging exclusively.

[Farseer_Emlyn]

Memos. Until they come up with some legal policy which demands that an employer destroy e-mail correspondence within a certain time frame of your departure from the company, I will refuse to use it.

[Chton]

Ah. Working in a social services-office we use both.
Email is for meetings and whatever/care, and memos for everything else.
Oh, the joys of the paper-mill....

[Tyndmyr]

I don't use paper memos, typically. I do use post it notes extensively for keeping track of what I need to do.