methods and systems are directed toward associating , displaying , and managing notes or other annotations with emails , instant messages , or other messages . a user interface provides a listing of message headers . selecting an annotation area associated with a message header causes an editor to open , and allows a user to enter an annotation , such as a text note , a url , and / or other data . an annotation fragment , such as a snippet of text , is generated from the annotation and associated with the annotation and message . the annotation , the annotation fragment , an icon or another representation remains perceptibly associated with the corresponding message header whenever the message header is moved in the user interface . placing a cursor over , or selecting the annotation representation causes the full annotation to be accessed and displayed . clicking on , or otherwise selecting the annotation representation opens the editor to revise the full annotation .