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On July 15, to Andrew Canion’s take on .
Reading about it inspired me to join the conversation by sharing this page.
Note that Andrew’s article is a better introduction to the subject at hand.
Objectives
In bold is my main focus.
Feelings
Now that I’ve been using HEY for 1 month, here’s how I feel about it:
My Gmail account is set to forward all emails to HEY.
When I’m sure I want to switch, I’ll start a real migration, updating sender by sender.
About SaneBox, what’s so great for me is how it automatically configures mail filtering.
I taught SaneBox to show me some emails on a daily, weekly or monthly basis.
This works if I discipline myself to not look at them until the appointed time. My clients show a number of new emails beside their folders...
By the way, I miss the deceased Google Inbox. It did this better than both HEY and SaneBox do.
Coming back to SaneBox and HEY: my setup is stretching SaneBox’s limits and some of HEY’s strong points make for a much calmer product.
Yes, HEY is far from being free, but compare it to the following...
+ SaneBox + Great email apps on each platform + A utility for dealing easily with big attachments, if needed.
On the one hand I hope HEY’s going to invest significantly in its client apps over time.
On the other hand, we might be surprised how our IMAP clients will eventually follow the wHEY and emulate many of HEY’s features. This was and still is looking like a compelling future.
That is, I feel compelled to participate in HEY’s mission.
I know they’re doing us all a service, even for those of us who are not their clients.
They’re showing the world a new way.
Plus, HEY might continue innovating at a pace difficult to follow by IMAP-wrangling solutions.
So after one month, I’m still ambivalent, and I have some undisclosed reasons too.
Still, I’m going to continue following and using HEY for now.
Warnings
⚠️ Before proceeding to my evaluation, a few warnings are in order:
I publish them as is, without spending efforts to make them easier to digest for the public.
Who knows, you might find them sufficiently readable to help you plan your evaluation.
In the next months, I might even decide this criteria is too important to sacrifice.
I’m pretty sure my strategies will work with some adaptation, and I’m also pretty sure you’ll be crumbling under the configuration of hundreds of email rules if you’re not a SaneBox subscriber (which costs the same price as HEY). 🤣
Feedback
Note also that you should be able to leave comments on this page and copy and edit your own version of this document in your own Coda account. If you come up with a different compelling strategy, I’d like it if you shared back a link. I could then link to your variant from here.
Update: it might be that you can’t leave comments on this page... You can contact me as , or email . I should be able to update this page to add your feedback (unless this becomes a part-time job, obviously!)
Evaluation
Finally, here is my initial evaluation.
HEY's advertised features
Feature
HEY only?
Emulable?
Will I depend on it?
Note
Marketing
IMAP-able?
1
The Screener
Addictive
YES
Unexpected, brilliant! Replaces my SaneBox usage.
Requires state sync
2
Rename Subjects
Addictive
Used it a few times and like it. Might use it again.
Requires state sync
3
The Imbox
Addictive
YES
It really, and easily, works at reducing noise!
Yes, in a folder
4
All Files
I rarely think of using this kind of feature.
Requires some index
5
Notifications
Addictive
YES
Calm by default. Per contact or thread.
Requires state sync
6
Reply Later
Addictive
YES
Stack visible in Imbox. Unexpected, brilliant!
Yes, in a folder
7
Set Aside
Addictive
YES
Stack visible in Imbox.
Need easier ways to note why I set them aside?
Yes, in a folder
8
Spy Pixel Blocker
Addictive
YES
Better than Gmail’s proxy & others’ hide images.
No
9
Merge Threads
Addictive
Used it a few times and like it. Might use it again.
Requires state sync
10
Read Together
Addictive
Need to be able to act on each email?
Yes, in the client
11
Reply Mode
Addictive
Brilliant. But I write very thoughtfully focused.
Yes, in the client
12
Bundles
Addictive
YES
How I miss this from Google Inbox!
Requires state sync
13
Big Files
Addictive
YES
No need to use anything else! Replaces XYZ.
No
14
Clips Highlights
Addictive
YES
Need more visibility and accessibility?
Requires state sync
15
Speakeasy
I’m not a public figure; prob. won’t ever use it.
Requires state sync
16
Inbox Notes
Addictive
YES
Need more visibility and accessibility?
Requires state sync
17
Thread Notes
Addictive
Offered by Spark Mail and others.
Requires state sync
18
Paper Trail
Addictive
Happy to not mark them as read or archive them.
Yes, in a folder
19
The Feed
Addictive
YES
Happy to not mark them as read or archive them.
Yes, in the client
20
Different States
Addictive
YES
Love that Imbox auto-archives, and that The Feed & Paper Trail have no states!
Yes
21
Mute Threads
I never think of using this kind of feature.
Yes, in a folder
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22
Count
Here’s the bulk of my reflexions on emulation strategies.
HEY's emulable features
Search
The Screener
Screen emails like you screen calls
The Imbox
The Imbox: It's not a typo
Reply Later
A built-in 'Reply Later' workflow
Set Aside
Just set it aside
Speakeasy
The Speakeasy Code
Paper Trail
Put receipts in The Paper Trail
Different States
New For You & Previously Seen
The Screener
HEY only?
Note
Unexpected, brilliant! Replaces my SaneBox usage.
Emulable?
Will I depend on it?
Addictive
YES
IMAP-able?
Requires state sync
EMULATION
Advantages
Requirements
Make sure you set rules where they will run not in your email client, but on your email server.
Otherwise, if you used a different email client on some platforms, your rules wouldn’t be applied.
Since SaneBox costs the same price as HEY, use SaneBox only if HEY isn’t flexible enough for you.
Also, this gives access to yet another third party to all your emails...
Configuration
Usage
I have never seen a Rules configuration screen that’s efficient to search, update and test rules.
Questions
Search
Question
Answer
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For the non-emulables, some are very arbitrary and discussable. I added some quick notes.
HEY's non-emulable features
Search
Rename Subjects
Fix bad subjects without busting threads
All Files
Find files without digging through threads
Notifications
Quiet by default, loud at your discretion
Spy Pixel Blocker
Blocking email spies 24/7/365
Merge Threads
E pluribus unum
Read Together
Spread ’em out, read ’em together
Reply Mode
Focus & Reply: Line ’em up, knock ’em down
Bundles
Bundle dominating senders into one line
Big Files
Send massive files without using other apps
Clips Highlights
Clips: Surface bits, don’t dig for them
Inbox Notes
Stick it to an email
Thread Notes
Add private “notes to self” to any email thread
The Feed
A love letter to newsletters
Mute Threads
Get off threads without having to ask
Security
Secure by design
Rename Subjects
Note
Used it a few times and like it. Might use it again.
Emulable?
Will I depend on it?
Addictive
IMAP-able?
Requires state sync
EMULATION
I’ve often wished I could do this. If an IMAP client does, it’ll need a way to sync it to your other platforms, so you’d need to use the same brand everywhere, which won’t probably happen.
Questions
Search
1
Question
Answer
HEY, when we rename a subject, would it make sense to show us the subject in a different color to remind us we changed it? #QandHEY 1/
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Questions
HEY questions
Feature
Question
Answer
1
Rename Subjects
HEY, when we rename a subject, would it make sense to show us the subject in a different color to remind us we changed it? #QandHEY 1/
2
Bundles
Written to Support on 2020-07-21
Remember Google Inbox?
I just remembered why I so much hated it when they sunset it. NOBODY else offers this, AFAIK:
e.g.:
Projection
I wonder if this could be:
Cybernetics
I loved Google Inbox's bundling because it calmed notifications and, by extension, it calmed me. Hey, you've got something great and I realize you're already addressing both sides of our cybernetic selves (our digital extensions affect our inner selves).
3
Set Aside
HEY, when we Set Aside an email, would it make sense to allow us to leave some breadcrumb notes to remember our intent? #QandHEY 2/
4
Merge Threads
HEY, when we Merge Threads, do you plan to allow us to see each one's subject some day? #QandHEY 3/
5
Read Together
HEY, when we Read Together some emails, why can't we act on each one of them from that view? Wouldn’t it reduce the risk of forgetting to act on anything important? #QandHEY 4/
We can if we remember to click on each email’s avatar.
6
Bundles
HEY, Why can't we Bundle up chatty senders in The Feed & Paper Trail? No tyranny of updating a read status on each message, but maybe bundle them up based on the date of our last visit there? Or someone suggested multiple Feeds for different purposes: even better? #QandHEY 5/
As of 2020-07-28, we can bundle in Paper Trail:
7
Clips Highlights
HEY, do you plan to make Clips more visible and accessible? Currently they're not accessible from the HEY menu. And would it make sense to Highlight them in their email's view too? #QandHEY 6/
HEY moved the Clips link to the Hey menu.
Still not highlighting them in their email’s view, though.
8
Inbox Notes
HEY, why don't you also show Imbox Sticky Notes in the Stacks and in their email thread? You seem to have some yet-to-unveil plan for those, can you share some details? #QandHEY 7/
Jason answered Stickies follow emails.
But still: why don’t they follow them in the Stacks and threads?
9
Thread Notes
HEY, why don't you provide a keyboard shortcut to add private "notes to self" in a thread? #QandHEY 8/
10
Paper Trail
HEY, even though you will not maintain read statuses for emails in The Feed and in Paper Trail, how do you feel about showing a visual ruler at the last date-time position we browsed it? I have always wished Twitter did that. #QandHEY 9/
11
HEY, why can't I decide where a contact's messages should appear when I say it's Not Spam? Do you plan to make it work more like The Screener? Until then, it takes me 8 steps per non-spam email to handle it properly. #QandHEY 10/
12
HEY, what do you wish to improve the most or the soonest? #QandHEY 11/
13
HEY, in the future, do you plan to maintain different versions of the HEY UI just like you do with the previous Basecamp versions? #QandHEY 12/
Jason answered it’s too early to tell.
14
HEY, as users, we will always be exclusively required to use your mail clients to access our email. What is your level of commitment to making them the best ones on the market? Are they going to evolve a lot? #QandHEY 13/
15
HEY, in your design, how much of an inspiration were other mail clients like the New Mail Pilot? #QandHEY 14/
16
HEY, when you open up Family accounts, will you support families of 7 like mine? #QandHEY 15/
17
HEY, at Basecamp, do you have people working 3 or 4 day workweeks? If so, how does it work for you? #QandHEY 16/
Everyone works 4 days in the summer.
Don’t know yet if year-long for some people and how it’s lived.
18
Written to Support on June 24.
Wish for the "Not spam" process to work more like the Screener
1. Open a spam email and assess it's not spam.
2. Click Not spam.
3. Observe that you're now in Imbox and the email is Already seen.
This last step makes me feel lost every time, due to my 2 expectations:
A. I expect to decide immediately where to filter this contact's messages in the future.
B. I expect to continue processing my other spam messages to be done with them ASAP.
Instead, if I want this message in the Feed or Paper Trail, I need to:
(1) find it at the top of Already seen,
(2) open it,
(3) click on its contact,
(4) choose where its messages will be filtered to in the future, and
(5) get back to the message, and
(6) move it there; then
(7) navigate back to the Spam view (without any quick shortcut to help with that.)
(8) for each Not Spam email found there, click Not Spam and re-do the 7 steps above.
Or if I want this message in Imbox and to Set Aside or Reply Later, I need to find it back before.
So, to me...
What you chose to implement for Spam seems like a step back from a traditional email client.
I realize I'd like the Spam view to work a bit like The Screener!
Honestly, I expected Not Spam'ed emails to appear in the Screener, but I realize you'd tell me it's not logical because I already decided I want those emails; but I haven't yet decided where I want them, e.g. "Not spam, I'm screening it into my... Feed!"
p.s. what you're doing is awesome, and I suppose you already have great plans for Spam handling...
19
All Files
There are no rows in this table
11
Count
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