13/12: Now get email...from your car
As the Internet adoption expands outward from the middle 20-50 somethings to go both younger and older, you see people go through a predicable cycle with email. First they are excited to get email, any email. They sign up for newsletters and leave those pesky ‘send me spam’ check boxes checked when ordering online. A sure sign of someone being in this phase is when you get the chain emails and jokes from them. Luckily, this doesn't last very long.
The next phase is when the person deletes unwanted messages and signs up for less, but still happy to get mail. Finally, the person begins to hate the inbox, quick to delete and angry about repeated attempts to unsubscribe. I am in this phase.
While trying to stay out of the presidential politics, I’ve been in Iowa to hear the voice of the voters and the politicians. Iowans take their vote very seriously, asking tough questions. They also get a lot of snow and ice.
I’m snowed in the Cedar Rapids Marriott, with little desire to brave the ice. So I took the time to go through my old email and begin deleting, unsubscribing or labeling as junk the messages. I came across one that turned out to be from, of all senders, my car.
It turns out that my new truck for my Aspen chalet is connected to OnStar. Every month, the car provides a diagnostic report, complete with estimated oil life and tire pressure. I found it very interesting. In the past, I always forgot to schedule a service appointment because once I left my vehicle, my mind went to other things. Now, when I get this email, I can click or call on the closest dealer noted in the email to schedule an appointment.
Interesting enough, the report also includes mileage. Looking back at a few emails and matching up to which of my friends were using the Chalet and truck, I quickly was able to see interesting activity by my guests. It looks like my buddy Matt Damon must have driven to Tahoe to ski based upon all the miles put on the truck when he was there.
The next phase is when the person deletes unwanted messages and signs up for less, but still happy to get mail. Finally, the person begins to hate the inbox, quick to delete and angry about repeated attempts to unsubscribe. I am in this phase.
While trying to stay out of the presidential politics, I’ve been in Iowa to hear the voice of the voters and the politicians. Iowans take their vote very seriously, asking tough questions. They also get a lot of snow and ice.
It turns out that my new truck for my Aspen chalet is connected to OnStar. Every month, the car provides a diagnostic report, complete with estimated oil life and tire pressure. I found it very interesting. In the past, I always forgot to schedule a service appointment because once I left my vehicle, my mind went to other things. Now, when I get this email, I can click or call on the closest dealer noted in the email to schedule an appointment.
Interesting enough, the report also includes mileage. Looking back at a few emails and matching up to which of my friends were using the Chalet and truck, I quickly was able to see interesting activity by my guests. It looks like my buddy Matt Damon must have driven to Tahoe to ski based upon all the miles put on the truck when he was there.
