Opinions on email retention

[podling]

I was going to do a poll about this, but then realized that much of the time the answers aren't quite right or don't match the answer I would ideally like to give. So. I've been debating with myself and want opinions from others.

Is there a limit on how long you keep email from people? From people you don't talk to? From people you do speak to? From people who you do still talk to but have a very different relationship with now?

I mean, basically that last one is where I am. In a general sort of way, I think it can be very cathartic. Like deleting all emails from an ex from years ago, it can feel good, provide more of a sense of closure. Definitely. But that's not the case here. And I have to examine, why did I keep all these emails? Do I really want to read through them all? The answers are that I don't know, and probably not. But do I want to delete them? But when the relationship is more vague, what then? I suppose it's not all about email though... real written mail for instance.

Just rambling thoughts about it, I guess...

Comments

[vgnwtch.livejournal.com]

I just sort of stare at the inbox and then delete the things I don't think I need any more. No real rhyme or reason, I fear; no set time limits. If I think something's worth keeping, I archive it in my "save" file.

[grendelgongon.livejournal.com]

I tend to keep things for a long time since disk space is getting less and less expensive. I'm amused by gmail's slow increase over 2GB in free space. Every once in a while I do go through and kill off some larger attachments tho, but I think I've gotten to the point where i'm too lazy to actually sort and delete :)

[khavren.livejournal.com]

I save it all, and sometimes go for a wander through remembering situations. But then, I'm a pack rat :)

[whitecrow0.livejournal.com]

I need to do an email purge. I have emails dating back five or more years; some are nice letters from my father or grandfather that I just sentimentally want to keep, but some of them ... I really have no idea ...

[two-star.livejournal.com]

I keep everything except spam. I guess I hold out some hope that a historian in the distant future will find something useful on my hard drive.

[packardgoose.livejournal.com]

I'm a computer-geek, so your milage may vary.

I keep only about six weeks worth of email in my inbox. If an email has contact info, it floats around in a separate folder until I put it into my address book. I archive all of my sent mail, but that's more a CYA than anything else. If I keep too many things, the feelings attached to them begin to weigh me down, and I'm slow enough emotionally as it is.

[silme.livejournal.com]

I tend to keep at least one mail from a person for a long time since I have lots of storage space and I don't bother with email address books. Yeah, I'm weird. :)

[laurasaurora.livejournal.com]

i don't keep emails unless they contain some sort of account information, it's for something i've ordered online, job related or otherwise Important (like house buying emails). i sort these type of things into folders, but even those i purge after awhile. i just don't like clutter, i guess. and it's just an email, the way i see it... i do have one friend who keeps every cotton pickin' email, sorted by sender. i think that's a little psycho personally. anyway... my 2 cents.

[piratejenny.livejournal.com]

It totally depends on the email. Like I save reciepts for rent, which I pay online, though I do delete them after about a year.

If it's something I find highly amusing, I could keep it for ages. I don't leave 'em in my inbox though--I make folders.

Exes? Email doesn't get saved.

[astrophysicat.livejournal.com]

I'm just too lazy to delete emails. Periodically I have to, especially at work. What I really want is a button I can press that will mark something for deletion in one week or one month or keep forever. If I could mark that while I read them I could then keep information that is still pertinent now, without having it clog up my box later.

As for friend-email, I attempt to only keep ones with information that might be useful later. But in yahoo I don't care enough to bother purging yet.