How do I annotate Inbox messages?

[Guest]

How do I annotate Inbox messages? ... Outlook is a family member that is OVER
TEN YEARS OLD! Wow! And yet there is still no way to annotate inbox messages.
God help us. Look don't touch is for children. we are all adults with adult
responsibilities. When is Microsoft going to entertain the concept that email
writers need to annotate incoming messages.

There is now a way to comment replies. Great. That deals with only 10% of
missing annotations. 90% of the email that needs annotation can't be
processed unless it is sent out to ...who?

If anyone has found a registry hook or any other way to enable annotation of
email messages, PLEASE let us all know about it.

(annotation: KB Q180139 - This article explains how to hook Microsoft office
applications like Access and Excel into Outlook Journal. Is a similar simple
hook in the works to enable Inbox annotation? Another article is KB298746,
though its solution is specific to a single incident and very limited user
group.)

 

[F.H. Muffman]

How do I annotate Inbox messages? ... Outlook is a family member that is
OVER
TEN YEARS OLD! Wow! And yet there is still no way to annotate inbox
messages.
God help us. Look don't touch is for children. we are all adults with
adult
responsibilities. When is Microsoft going to entertain the concept that
email
writers need to annotate incoming messages.

Maybe I'm misunderstanding the definition of 'annotate' but, to me, it
means, loosely, that you want to add text to a message you have received,
right?

If yes, well, open the message and, from the Edit menu, select Edit Message.
You can then add text all you want. I'm pretty sure that feature has
existed for more than a couple versions now.

If this isn't what you want, could you clarify what 'annotate' means to you?

 

[Vanguard]

How do I annotate Inbox messages? ... <snip - blah blah, rant rant>

Double-click to open in its own window and use the Edit menu (edit, hint
hint, wink wink). Outlook is a PIM that added e-mail. Annotation is
NOT defined in the e-mail standards. Stop trying to make Outlook's
e-mail function into a word processor. If you want to truly annotate
the content then attach it so someone else can open it in a word
processor and add their annotation instead of merely editing the
content.

 

[Guest]

Actually, you are saying that you cannot annotate in the INBOX. You suggest
opening messages ONE-BY-ONE. That's a big waste of time and PIA.

Please, in there a fix to edit messages IN the INBOX? That would involve
editing the message in the PREVIEW PANE?

 

[Guest]

Hi Vanguard,
I wrote to Muffman:
"Actually, you are saying that you cannot annotate in the INBOX. You suggest
opening messages ONE-BY-ONE. That's a big waste of time and even an emotional
PIA.

Please, is there a fix to edit messages IN the INBOX? That would involve
editing the message in the PREVIEW PANE?"

Vanguard, you have taken annotation to the ultra-tedious life-wasting
extreme. Your reply does indicate that Microsoft has engineered extensive
annotation capability into messaging. UNFORTUNATELY, Outlook 2007 still
neglects to enable annotation in the Inbox. So, is there a registry fix that
will correct Microsoft's engineering no-brainer?

Cordially hours from a HUGE yawn,
Mark

 

[F.H. Muffman]

Actually, you are saying that you cannot annotate in the INBOX. You
suggest opening messages ONE-BY-ONE. That's a big waste of time and
PIA.

Please, in there a fix to edit messages IN the INBOX? That would
involve editing the message in the PREVIEW PANE?

No, because the Reading Pane/Preview Pane is for Readings/Previewing
messages, not for editing them.

Not that I'm Microsoft, but sorry. If the software is such a pain, don't use
it. Use something else. If you're forced to use it for work, give them a
good analysis of why your productivity suffers because of the software.

I'll be honest, I've used email for, oh, going on 15 years and I've never
needed this functionality. If I need to keep myself apprised of something
that needs to be done to the message, I'll use the color categories.

Not to mention the fact that by editing the original message, there are
concievable legal problems possible, since you're editing someone elses
email message sent to you, which is likely the reason why editing a message
in your mailbox is such a pain to begin with.

 

[Guest]

Thank you for your response. You imply that annotation would involve editing
an email message received. You miss the point. "Annotation" means literally
attaching one's own "note" to an email. Yes, we have color cubes to play with
and a word can appear beside the color. But this is rather neanderthalene, if
not totally neutered.

What if you want to add a note like "Great. Alan is finally having a
birthday. Call JJ and pick up some donuts." A little Annotation icon is
attached to the message. Click the icon and the note opens.

What if you select twenty messages from assorted individuals and
subscriptions and add a note like "These are great ideas. But people like
Muffman get lost in paranoid notions about others editing their email when
adding annotations to messages. We need to educate people, if we are going to
benefit from any sort of improved functionality in the Outlook inbox. When
you read this emailed annotation, John, please select a few to contact. Let
me know how things go."

I am sure that everyone has more than wished at times they could "Annotate"
as noted clearly above. Gluteral pretty color cubes are good for pre-school.
But for GOD'S sake, Outlook is an Office program. Do you agree? Why can't we
click those cubes and annotate? m.i.a.

Regards, Mark