The heart of the forthcoming Blackberry operating system is a unified inbox capturing all of a user's emails, social messages and BBMs. The OS was demoed at RIM's BlackBerry Jam event for developers and is slated for Q1 2013 release. 

A leaked internal memorandum telegraphs Yahoo!'s strategic direction as set by new CEO Marissa Meyer. An overhaul of Yahoo! mail and the site's advertising platforms reportedly aligns them better with the consumer experience and incorporate more social and dashboard features.

With the rise in importance of engagement metrics as a deliverability measure, email programs need to focus on subscribier quality over quantity. One way to achieve this is to add a little friction into the signup process to pre-qualify new subscribers and help ensure they are more engaged with the brand.

A/B testing is one of the easiest and most productive ways to identify the email tactics that work best for your brand. Tests for Layout and Design, Timing and Frequency, Dynamic Content, Call-to-Action, Sender and Copy can all fine-tune an email program.

A study published recently in Psychology Today points at the brain chemical Dopamine as the reason people compulsively check their inboxes. To curb this behavior, the researcher suggests turning off notifications.

The Relevancy Group has released some additional data from a recent consumer behavior survey, finding that each day 97% check a personal email account while 59% update their Facebook status. 33% of consumers report having shared something from a brand on either Facebook or Twitter.

TechCrunch has identified the eight vendors working with Facebook on custom audience (email address) targeting. The companies are AdParlor, Alchemy Social, Brighter Option, GraphEffect, Kenshoo, Nanigans, Social Moov, and Optimal. 

A growing number of companies is trying to rebuild the boundaries between work and home by urging their employees to stop checking email once they leave work, or at least to refrain from replying if they feel compelled to continue scanning the inbox. While the added productivity in an economic downturn is appreciated, some companies now have the foresight to try and ward off employee burnout. 

The email marketing benchmarks of 17% open rates and 3% click-throughs, recently published by eMarketer, are "spot on" according to Listrak CEO Ross Kramer. Speaking at the Marketing Boot Camp in advance of the Shop.org Annual Summit, Kramer went on to say that retailers should aim for 20% - 30% of revenues to be attributable to email.

With many retailers already launching holiday promotions and email campaigns, 'tis the season to tune up your email program. Attention to your database, analytics, creative, merchandising and tone are all critical preparation in advance of a big 4th quarter.