What You Said: How You Deal with Bacn

Understanding How Readers Manage "Bacn"—Desired Email, Delayed Consumption

Recently, we inquired about strategies for handling “Bacn”—emails you subscribe to but don’t need to view immediately—and received a wealth of responses. The following outlines the three primary methods HTG readers employ to manage this type of email.

Filtering and Organization

Many readers utilize filtering systems to categorize incoming messages. Individuals such as Ray and jigglypuff leverage the capabilities of email clients like Thunderbird to achieve this.

I utilize Thunderbird as my email application. I’ve established various folders to which incoming email is automatically sorted. Newsletters and other subscription-based emails are directed to a folder with lower priority.

The solution is simple: filters. I’ve configured filters for all such email types. Some are permitted to reach my inbox, while others bypass it and go directly to a designated folder. I review them at my convenience.

Account Segmentation and Hybrid Approaches

A different tactic involves using multiple email accounts to separate different types of correspondence. Crab employs a combination of filters within one account and a completely separate account for mailing lists:

I use both filters and folders, alongside a dedicated Gmail account for discussion lists, which I access only when I wish to read my mailing list messages.

Tags are preferable to folders, but Gmail’s filtering options aren’t as robust as those found in a dedicated email client, so the benefits are comparable.

MGtrek favors a multi-account strategy, eschewing filters altogether:

While filters can be beneficial, they require ongoing maintenance and rely on your email client being online. This limitation is particularly noticeable when checking email on mobile devices—precisely when sorting is most needed.

I’ve discovered that maintaining multiple email accounts is a highly effective solution. My setup consists of three layers. My friends communicate with me through my primary account. Email from sources I consider ‘reliable’—those unlikely to sell my address and likely to send legitimate announcements—goes to a “registered” email account. Bacn and potentially less trustworthy sources are directed to a “mailing list” email account. Standard spam filters are applied to each account, with stricter settings for the personal address and more lenient settings for the mailing list account.

Although managing three accounts (actually six—one for personal use and one for business) may seem cumbersome, the effort is comparable to creating numerous folders using filters. Furthermore, I find that I adopt a different mindset when accessing each account—similar to the distinction between personal and work email.

For websites that insist on your email address and you suspect will spam or sell it, I forward their messages to my “pit” email. This account is only checked when I need the specific information they’ve sent.

Procrastination and Delayed Action

Some readers acknowledge the potential benefits of filtering or a structured approach but haven’t yet implemented one, or have found sub-folders ineffective. Ed shares his experience:

Gmail’s Snooze feature is excellent because it temporarily removes the email from view, and when it reappears, it does so in your inbox, allowing you to either address it or Snooze it again. I avoid using filters/rules for Bacn because once an email is moved to a subfolder, I rarely retrieve it. Filters/rules are more suitable for lower-priority emails—those just above spam (like subscriptions you seldom review).

Josh offers a slightly different perspective on the definition of Bacn but agrees that filters would be helpful:

Firstly, bacon is something I always want. Therefore, I wouldn’t categorize those emails as Bacn; I’d refer to my friend’s emails as bacon. Regardless, I haven’t yet set up any filters, although I’ve been intending to for years. Gmail’s new “important” emails feature has been functioning reasonably well. Perhaps now that I’ve been reminded, I’ll prioritize creating some filters… perhaps tomorrow.

-Mr. Procrastinator

Do you have additional insights to share regarding Bacn management? Please contribute to the discussion in the comments section below.