My friend recently changed her e-mail address.  She, like so many of you, uses the e-mail address associated with her service provider.  When she changes service providers she’s stuck changing her e-mail address.  So it goes.

She sent me, and everyone else in her address book, her new e-mail address in an e-mail from her old address.  Being a curious chap, I wrote her back and asked her why she hadn’t just sent the e-mail from her new address so that we would have all received an e-mail from that address.  She pointed out that it was much easier for her to send a message to everyone in her address book announcing the new address than it was to create that same message from her new address.

Not only am I a curious chap, but I’m a damned clever bastard as well.  I gave a little think and hit upon a simple solution for folks who may find themselves in this situation.  When it’s time to announce your next e-mail address change, use my simple three step program for success:

1. Send a message to all your friends from your old address, including your new address on the CC line of the e-mail.  This message says something like “I am getting a new address and you will receive a message from me from that new address shortly”.
2. Go to your new mail account and Reply-All to everyone in your mail message announcing your new address (from this new account).  This message says something like “Here is my new address—be sure and change your address book”.
3. Bask in the radiant glow of your own foresight.  Sunglasses at night?

So there you have it.  Does life get any better than this?