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Communicating via email is an easy and convenient option that has been embraced by many. Individuals use email in place of personal letters, but also in business settings and professional communications. One drawback with email is that the sender generally has no way of knowing if the recipient read the email unless a response is received. DidTheyReadIt is a website service that can tell email senders if the recipient read the email, and it is incredibly useful for those interested in instantiation.
Overview of DidTheyReadIt’s Features
DidTheyReadIt.com is a website offering a paid subscription service to tell email senders if the email recipient has read their communication. The cost of the service ranges from $25 for a quarterly membership to a high traffic (2000 messages per month) annual membership for $70. The service was created by Rampell Software in 2003. It offers a convenient service over the internet.
Why Use DidTheyReadIt?
It can be frustrating to send an email to a family member or a business client, only for it to go unanswered. What do you do? This is not a problem using iFax for other business communications. You can send a follow-up email and run the risk of being pushy, or you can call the person to see if they got your original email. Both scenarios are awkward, and defeat the purpose of sending an email in the first place. Your email recipient might have read your email and neglected to respond, or they may not have received it at all (some emails accidentally get caught in the spam filter). Before you make that follow-up attempt, it would be helpful to know if the email was read. DidTheyReadIt will tell you if your email recipient read the email before you attempt a second point of contact.
How Does DidTheyReadIt Work?
In simple terms, email senders attach .didtheyreadit.com to the end of an email address, tagging the email for the paid service. Once the email is opened, a notification is sent to the sender, similar to a tool in Microsoft Outlook. Individuals that have used Microsoft Outlook in a business setting may have seen a notification on emails telling them the sender wishes to receive word that the email has been read. However, what actually occurs with DidTheyReadIt is not so simple.
DidTheyReadIt adds a “web bug” to the email, a piece of html code, a bit simpler than php tools, that is often used by spammers to locate email addresses that work. Have you ever opened a spam email by mistake, only to be inundated by similar emails the next day? That is because a web bug told the sender that your email works because you opened it, so keep on sending!
Email Receipt Verification
Using DidTheyReadIt or other receipt verification providers like ReadNotify or MailTrackr are not 100% accurate. In order to verify email receipt successfully, the service needs to verify the time opened. However, some people may have their wireless network or mail server configured to block the access of this information. This is typically done in business IT strategy solutions or other private networks. For the most part, email receipt can be verified regularly.
DidTheyReadIt Review
The bottom line for our review of DidTheyReadIt is this – if you need to track email receipt reliably, this is an excellent solution. This email tool helps provide much more reliable read receipts than the average email clients that most people use. Unfortunately, DidTheyReadIt is not 100% accurate, as it uses graphics to confirm receipt status. Not all email services support graphics, and some users may disable graphics in their settings. However, if you need to track email delivery status accurately, you should consider downloading the software.
Concerns About DidTheyReadIt
While the point of DidTheyReadIt’s service can be appreciated by many individuals, the service is quite intrusive. There is no “opt out” option because at no point does the email recipient know that that email you sent them about the upcoming JAD session is being tracked. The web bug embedded in the email also tracks data that recipients may not wish to share, such as how many times the email was opened, how long it was open, where the recipient is located and their Internet Service Provider (ISP). In an age where privacy concerns are prevalent, these may raise a few eyebrows.
DidTheyReadIt is an interesting concept that brings a Microsoft Outlook tool to the general public. However, its real life application is concerning. The paid service claims to be aimed at individuals, but the way in which it tracks emails is closer to that of a spam service. By installing a web bug in emails without notifying the recipient, DidTheyReadIt acts like a marketing service that lacks any transparency. If you are planning on spamming your friends or if you are a creepy employer that wants to make sure your employees are reading your weekly emails, maybe the service is for you.
Image from https://www.linkedin.com/company/did-they-read-it
