Email Network Security Blog

Message Recall: Not the Best Feature

Both Microsoft Exchange and IBM Lotus Notes (Domino) have a feature called “Message Recall”. They both have serious limitations and it is only under rare exceptions do they work. They ONLY work within the local mail system (not with messages to the internet, for example) and ONLY if the recipient has not read the original and has certain settings enabled (Process requests and responses on arrival). They work so poorly and are such a bad idea, I’m not even going to go into the specifics of when they do work.

I will give this one piece of advice though: Don’t rely on “Message Recall”. Don’t fire off emails like confetti at a New Year’s party (I can think of less proper examples, like what happens to some people to end a New Year’s party). Take time composing them. Save them in your drafts folder and get some fresh air outside and then re-read them. If you are emotional (especially angry) when you write an email, save it in your drafts for at least a whole 24 hours, and re-read it when you feel more calm.

Maybe you don’t want to listen to me or feel you can’t control yourself. If that is the case, then obviously I can’t help you. Learn the hard way and then maybe cut back on the coffee and get a good book on meditation or yoga to calm yourself down.