Ask HN: Are Gmail users faster at replying to incoming emails?

Posted by rokhayakebe on Thursday August 13, 2009 @01:34PM
from the ask-hn dept.

I have noticed that the people I come across who use Gmail are much faster at responding emails then people who use different clients.

For example I sometimes have to go through several freelancers' emails. I respond to interesting submissions in a timely manner. I notice that applicants who use Gmail respond much faster than the rest. And this has been constant over the past few years.

Have you noticed something similar?

( 6 comments | on HN )

Re:Ask HN: Are Gmail users faster at replying to incoming em... by fburnaby on Thursday August 13, 2009 @02:40PM (#761420)

I used to use my school's webmail. When I switched to gmail, I leaned about gmail notifier, which tells me as soon as I get an email. Instead of checking twice a day, I respond immediately. Are you talking about differences in response times on this time-scale?

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Ask HN: Are Gmail users faster at replying to incoming em... by rokhayakebe on Thursday August 13, 2009 @04:28PM (#761630)

That maybe the reason. The notifier not the fact that gmail users maybe more web savvy or anything else like that.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Ask HN: Are Gmail users faster at replying to incoming em... by fburnaby on Thursday August 13, 2009 @08:19PM (#762065)

Making use of the notifier would imply one's heightened savvy, no?

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Re:Ask HN: Are Gmail users faster at replying to incoming em... by otoburb on Thursday August 13, 2009 @01:40PM (#761274)

Aren't people more likely to have a web-browser window or tab open, versus an entire application?

To answer the original question: yes, people on Gmail tend to answer their emails faster (barring corporate email inquiries).

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Re:Ask HN: Are Gmail users faster at replying to incoming em... by imad on Thursday August 13, 2009 @01:44PM (#761286)

I believe the corollary to be more apt. 'People use gmail because they want to reply faster'.

The threaded style of inbox messages also helps keep track of previous conversations to an extent

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Re:Ask HN: Are Gmail users faster at replying to incoming em... by jacquesm on Thursday August 13, 2009 @01:48PM (#761298)

I don't think it's the people, it's the fact that they don't wade through a ton of spam to get to your message that makes them pay attention to their 'xbiff' analogue.

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