In 2008 Luis started his experiment to give up on corporate email and instead make heavier use of social networking tools to collaborate and share knowledge.  At his personal blog he describes, among other things, his experiences during the experiment.

In his progress reports at his blog he describes a significant reduction of the amount of emails received on a daily basis by using social software tools. At the same time he witnesses the changing role of email itself, transitioning from a content repository to a messaging and notification system.

Luis realises and acknowledges that email is not going away any time soon. And his goal is not to kill all e-mail, but he wants to help people re-purpose it. To redesign email for what it was originally designed for and no longer keep information stuck in the inbox. By moving conversations to social places, so that information and knowledge flow much faster and, as a result of that, people become more efficient and effective at what they do. Using social software isn’t about adding more work and stress, but looking for smarter ways to get the job done.

In the documentary Luis tells us how he was successful in reducing incoming emails from an average of 40 to 16 a day and interacts via social software tools instead. Feeling more productive and in control then ever. The proof to him that it can be done.

What he also notices is that more and more people asking him to help them eliminate most of their incoming emails and instead progress towards a much more receptive adoption of social software tools for business. For that purpose he developed a mindmap which explains his journey using four different entry points of discussion:

• Why did you do it?
• How did you do it?
• How has it changed the way we work?
• Tips on reducing email – where do you start?

A presentation on his journey and the can be accessed via Luis’ blog entry.