Social media tools such as Facebook and Twitter are taking on many of the functions once completed by email. In the same way text messaging changed the way we use cell phones, Twitters and “status updates” are changing the way we communicate online.
Here are seven reasons social media will make email obsolete.
7. Email takes too much time
Nothing like opening the morning email to find 100 or more emails awaiting your attention. Just sorting them can take up the better part of a morning – least bit reading and responding. While email has made communication easier, it has also made our lives much busier.
6. Email Etiquette demands are greater then with social media tools
Email etiquette stems from traditional letter writing. Salutations and signatures are somewhat expected – at least upon first contact in an email string. Tools such as Twitter, with it’s 140 character limit, don’t allow for such formalities.
5. Email discussions can be hard to follow
Email discussions can often become so long and unwieldy as they get passed from one participant to another that those late to the discussion have no chance of catching up. Add to that the failed “reply to all” and you are soon missing important elements of the discussion.
The basic structure of a forum with the topic posted at the top of the string makes the conversation much easier to follow. Remember how the email user group used to be so popular? Now the discussion takes place in forums.
4. Social Media allows quick communication to the group
Social Media sites make it much easier to broadcast messages to the group. Instead of emailing pictures of the children to each and every family member, they are now easily posted on Facebook pages or Flickr albums.
Businesses are using social media to broadcast content to massive audiences in ways email does not allow.
3. Email can’t accommodate larger files or group access
Ever try to send a video by email? Video hosting services such as YouTube eliminate the bandwidth constraints of many email servers. Forums also allow users to post files needed by the entire group. No need to email each document individually.
2. Social Media Tools are quick and to the point
When you are limited to 140 characters (Twitter), you’ve got to be concise. Get to the point, respond, move on. Twitter also has the advantage of both broadcasting to the group or responding to the individual.
1. NO SPAM!
At least not yet. Spam is one of the biggest reasons many dread opening their morning email. Even with the best filters, it still gets through. Worse yet, spam filters often block the messages we need to see.
Unlike email, social media sites allow us to choose who sends us messages. While social media makes it easier to broadcast to the group, it also makes it easier not to listen.
So while email will always have it’s place, many are finding social media tools filling in for the shortcomings of email.
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I do agree that social network functionality will eventually make traditional email obsolete. Social networks do have “inbox” capabilities as well. The dillema comes in to play when you start thinking about the domain that emails would be associated with (joe@domain.com). Or will there be no domains associated with online communcation?! I was on a panel in May about this very issue. http://bit.ly/UMrn
Maybe not…would you really want to get your bank statement through your social network? Would you want a tweet from your ex arranging weekend visitation? There are also people who’ve found a technology that works for them and don’t want another learning curve! In all probability, I think use will shift from technology to technology because technology is just a tool. People will choose what serves their needs best to communicate. For some it is still snail mail. Some may never want to move beyond email.
As I said, email will always have it’s place and Flora’s examples above are good examples of that place.
She’s also exactly right when she’s says that technology is just a tool. The key is to find the tool which works best for you and use it to its fullest. If that is direct mail, then go with what works.
Social media offers the most to those who can find creative ways to use the technology and the massive opportunities that come from it.
Totally agree on this one… it will happen sooner than we think!
(aka: next year!)
- Steven Burda
http://www.linkedin.com/in/burda
http://burda.businesscard2.com/
http://www.cio.com/article/print/470122