Law.com Subscribers SAVE 30%

Call 855-808-4530 or email [email protected] to receive your discount on a new subscription.

E-mail Formatting Can Affect Content Delivery

By Judye Carter Reynolds
June 29, 2006

E-mail is a convenient and powerful method of communication with billions of e-mail messages transmitted everyday. As common as e-mail is however, there is still some mystery concerning the use of e-mail programs and the types of corresponding message formats. Why is this worth discussing? Because message formats have a direct effect on how text and text formatting are displayed, the size of the messages, and if the message text is received at all.

Some e-mail systems may not properly translate the format of another. Using Microsoft Outlook, for instance, e-mail messages can be transmitted in one of three formats: Rich Text Format (RTF), HTML or plain text. A preferred message format can be specified for transmitting messages and for receiving messages. Each format affects text formatting, placement of attachments, access to linked objects and message size. Message size impacts the time it takes to send or receive a message and download attachments. Plain text format will yield the smallest message size, while HTML messages will be the largest.

Read These Next
Why So Many Great Lawyers Stink at Business Development and What Law Firms Are Doing About It Image

Why is it that those who are best skilled at advocating for others are ill-equipped at advocating for their own skills and what to do about it?

Bankruptcy Sales: Finding a Diamond In the Rough Image

There is no efficient market for the sale of bankruptcy assets. Inefficient markets yield a transactional drag, potentially dampening the ability of debtors and trustees to maximize value for creditors. This article identifies ways in which investors may more easily discover bankruptcy asset sales.

The DOJ's Corporate Enforcement Policy: One Year Later Image

The DOJ's Criminal Division issued three declinations since the issuance of the revised CEP a year ago. Review of these cases gives insight into DOJ's implementation of the new policy in practice.

A Lawyer's System for Active Reading Image

Active reading comprises many daily tasks lawyers engage in, including highlighting, annotating, note taking, comparing and searching texts. It demands more than flipping or turning pages.

Blockchain Domains: New Developments for Brand Owners Image

Blockchain domain names offer decentralized alternatives to traditional DNS-based domain names, promising enhanced security, privacy and censorship resistance. However, these benefits come with significant challenges, particularly for brand owners seeking to protect their trademarks in these new digital spaces.