Written by: Kevin Chisholm - American Guitarist - www.american-guitarist.com

Most people these days use email, and most of us rely on it. Email is a great method of communication. There is no reason why you can’t continue to utilize email while on the road. There are a few things to consider before heading out:

Try to avoid using a POP mail account - In most cases, people use a mail client like Microsoft Outlook to check their POP mail account. This could mean that you are tied to one computer to not only send and receive email, but also to look back through your archive of old messages. Even though you could take your laptop with you on the road, that introduces other variables such as voltage differences, additional baggage, damage, theft as well as the constant need to get that laptop on to the internet securely. Most of these variables negate the benefits of having your personal laptop with you on tour.

Use Web-based email - Mail offerings such as Yahoo Mail, Hot mail, MSN, and Gmail are not only easy to use, they are all free. You could sign up for any one of these mail services in 5 minutes, from any computer that has internet access and best of all, you can check your email from anywhere in the world. In some cases, that free email service may also allow you to check your POP mail account as well from the same web browser.

Vacation Response – Set a standardized message that automatically replies to every email you receive. Most free email services offer this option for free or for a reasonable upgrade cost. While you may have every intention to check your email often while on tour, there may be days when you simply cannot. Sometimes you might go several days without access to the Internet. The “Vacation” or “Out of Office” message lets people know that you may not receive their message right away because you are traveling. This is particularly helpful with people you have been trying to get a response from, such as booking agents and press people. If they email you and do not receive a reply for several days, then they might write you off and a valuable contact is lost. If you se the expectation properly, they will understand when the response from you is delayed. A typical "Out of office" message could read something like this:

I will be traveling between February 7th and 28th with limited or no access to email. If this is urgent, please call me at +1 (555) 555-1234. Otherwise, I will return your email when I return after Feb. 28th. This is an automated message and there is not need to reply to it. Your email will be delivered to me.

Thank You,

[Name]

Saved Passwords – Be careful when you check your email on a shared computer (such as in an internet café.) it is not uncommon for your email service to have a check-box on the login screen that says “Keep me logged in” or “Remember Me”. It is possible that when you are finished, and you simply close the internet browser, the PC is still logged into your password protected email account and the next person who uses that computer can read your email, an related data. This is a very very (very) bad thing and should be avoided at all costs. Pay attention to what you are doing and the prompts on the screen.

Internet Cafes – Before you plunk yourself down at an internet café PC, ask what the rates are. Rates vary greatly. Also, pay attention to the minimum rate. If the rate is 4 Euro per hour with a 15-minute minimum, then you need only commit to spending 1 Euro. But in some cases, the minim might be one hour. If that is the case, maybe it would be more cost effective to check your email less often as you can at least make better use of that time. If everyone in the band wants to quickly check their email, then just commit to one PC, and each person jumps on and off quickly. In the end you as a band have only paid a few Euro to use the PC for 30 minutes or so, but everyone gets to quickly check their email for urgent messages.

Written by: Kevin Chisholm - American Guitarist - www.american-guitarist.com