In an era in which US citizens are looking for more privacy in email and services that offer email are shutting down left and right, Mailpile hopes to offer an alternative. The email client is designed on an open-source web-based platform that you can run on your own computer or in the cloud. The idea is that anyone using the platform can encrypt their own mail and still be able to use the search tools available in free email services like Gmail. The company has already raised more than $100,000 on the crowdfunding site IndieGoGo.

Online home sharing platform Airbnb wanted to generate bookings around the holidays, but rather than push a marketing message, they decided on a message that would go viral. The company created an email encouraging users to send a thank you email to people whose houses they had rented and stayed in that year. Airbnb provided the tools to create these digital thank you notes in order to facilitate email conversations among users. The emails had a 52.3% open rate, higher than the company's average of 27% to 30%. The emails generated 26.5% click through rate, higher than the company's usual …

B-to-b marketers that can get a lead to share their business email address with them will have better luck than those that are taking in the personal email addresses from potential clients. Gmail, Yahoo and Hotmail addresses are a lot less valuable when it comes to selling business services, according to metrics shared by Kentico, a b-to-b marketing services firm. The company revealed that in nine years, only 3% of the company's revenue comes from leads that sign up with a personal email address. In addition, those that shared a personal email address spent 55% less than average on business …

Consumers open 49% of all marketing emails on mobile devices, and then go to their desktops to react to those offers, according to a recent report by Yesmail Interactive. The report, which analyzed about 5 billion marketing emails sent by Yesmail Q2 2013, also revealed that 23% of consumers click on an email after opening it on a desktop and only 11% click after opening it on a mobile device.

Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer is retiring. He revealed his plans to company in an email sent to Microsoft employees this morning. He plans to transition from his role once a replacement is chosen, within the next 12 months. "There is never a perfect time for this type of transition, but now is the right time," he explained in the email. "My original thoughts on timing would have had my retirement happen in the middle of our transformation to a devices and services company focused on empowering customers in the activities they value most. We need a CEO who will be …

While email encryption services like Lavabit and Silent Circle have shut down in recent days, companies that offer consumers the ability to keep their online communications private are beginning to push private text-messaging apps over encrypted email as a way to get around government pressure. WickR, a company that offers a private texting app for iPhones reports that downloads of its app doubled over the past two months. In addition, TextSecure, an Android app that offers similar services, has also see an increase in users.

BlueHornet Networks, the email marketing arm of digital agency Digital River, has signed a number of new clients including online career site TheLadders; menswear newsletter Indochino; and Blooms Today, an e-commerce company that sells flowers and gifts online. These clients join BlueHornet's existing clientele which already includes KFC, Boot Barn and Snagajob.

Ever since the NSA email spying scandal broke, enterprises have been looking at ways to add security to their email communications. Scrollout offers businesses the ability to build a wall around their email servers to prevent spies from getting in. Scrollout works on Microsoft Exchange, Lotus Domino,Postfix, Exim, and qmail. Businesses can use the tool to prevent spam from getting in, as well as for data loss prevention and security.

The public school district in Spokane, Washington is giving 4th-12th graders their own email accounts. The email accounts for the 4th-7th graders will be restricted and only allow emails between students and teachers. Older students can have unrestricted emails if their parents approve. Microsoft Office 365 will power the communications. "We want our high school students that are getting ready and looking at colleges to be able to have that communication for college scholarships and other admission information," Erica Hallock, director of community relations for the Spokane Public Schools told KREM.com Spokane. "We found that too many of our students …

Sunshine Learning Centre, an online therapy and education focused site which provides resources for families with children with autism, is using email to connect to its community. Working with Elite Email, the company transitioned its email program from simply sending batch and blast email marketing messages to curating a bi-weekly newsletters with helpful content for the community and sending these to segmented lists. Fostering this community with useful information has helped the site's email program succeed. On average, 30% of the readers of a Sunshine newsletter are new to the company's list. In addition, articles have a 50% read rate.