‘Email Britain’ Campaign to Create 21st Century Domesday Book
Brits Urged to Send an Email Now to email@emailbritain.co.uk
Reading -UK – 3rd May 2007 - A first attempt to log British life by email is launching this week. Windows Live Hotmail joins forces with the British Library to collect a million email entries for ‘Email Britain’ -the first permanent record of British life by email.
Dubbed ‘The 21st Century Domesday Book’, the archive is expected to attract millions of emails which will be stored digitally at the British Library for future generations to enjoy.
Email is the number one communication in the UK*, and now this huge electronic conversation is to be archived for posterity. The ‘Email Britain’ campaign aims to record the UK’s first archive of email communications – the good, the bad and the bizarre.
How to take part
Windows Live Hotmail and the British Library want everyone in Britain to forward an email to email@emailbritain.co.uk from their inbox or sent mail that represents life as they see it today. Alternatively emailers can compose a special note to submit for the archive. Every eligible email received will be recorded in the British Library archive and the top 100 emails will be published in a unique Email Britain book, celebrating the best of Britain’s most popular communication method for staying in touch with friends, family and work colleagues.
John Tuck, Head of British Collections at the British Library, said: “Email has in many respects replaced traditional forms of communications such as letters or memoranda, thousands of examples of which we have at the British Library. In the digital age email has become prevalent in our day-to-day lives.
“Email Britain will allow us to archive a vast snapshot of our present-day email communications and will be of great value for future researchers. Digital archiving of email has never been attempted before on this scale and we’re very excited to be capturing such a rich slice of contemporary life.”
Jo Wickremasinghe, Campaign Manager at Windows Live Hotmail said: “We’re trying to illustrate how integral email has become to our everyday lives. Mini soap operas are played out in inboxes across the country every day, from job offers to wedding proposals, big breaks to break ups. We want this unique archive to make absorbing reading for years to come.”
Categories
To capture the diversity of our emails, the Email Britain team has created ten subject categories which should be typed into the subject box before submitting an email, as follows:
| • | Blunders |
| • | Life Changing Emails |
| • | Complaints |
| • | Spam |
| • | Love and Romance |
| • | Humour |
| • | Everyday Emails |
| • | News |
| • | Tales from Abroad |
| • | The world around you |
Full information and help on submitting an email to the Email Britain archive is available online at www.newhotmail.co.uk/emailbritain. Terms and conditions, detailing treatment of the email once sent are also available at this website.
According to Metrix research
About Windows Live Hotmail
Windows Live Hotmail is the next generation of MSN Hotmail. The new Windows Live Hotmail service provides a more sophisticated web mail experience for customers, much like desktop software, and comes complete with a multitude of new features including drag and drop, spell check, photo upload control and Classic and Full versions of the service.
About The British Library
The British Libraryis the national library of the United Kingdom. It provides world class information services to the academic, business, research and scientific communities and offers unparalleled access to the world’s largest and most comprehensive research collection. The British Library’s collections include 150 million items from every era of written human history beginning with Chinese oracle bones dating from 300 BC, right up to the latest e-journals. Further information is available on the Library’s website at www.bl.uk
About Microsoft
Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq "MSFT") is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realise their full potential.
| • | Visit the Microsoft UK homepage for further information on Microsoft products |
Contact information
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Customer enquiries should be directed to Microsoft on 0870 6010 100. Opening hours are 8.00am to 6.00pm.
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