This week, it is expected that Facebook will announce a new email platform to supplement their current social networking offering. The response was quite mixed in the tech world as Facebook advocates swear the world needs an alternative to Gmail (although most people in the know would disagree), while others swore off any possibility of using the service given the existing cavalier attitude toward privacy by Facebook execs.
We asked all of you to take a flash poll to take a pulse on how the real estate community feels about using the new Facebook email coming out soon and although it’s just a sampling, the results are relatively consistent with other polls we now see floating around. The trend in our industry is that Facebook email will be claimed by all so others cannot take their name, but not for actual use. The AG Flash Poll results are as follows:
To clarify the second chart, when we asked “will you actually use Facebook mail?” here is what you said:
- 59% No, I don’t need yet one *more* place to be. Duh.
- 13% No, not until it is a proven, stable email service.
- 21% Yes, but only as an alternate/additional email service.
- 7% Yes, I will replace my current email service with it.
In a fast moving world where Google is the reigning king of email, calendars, mobile mapping apps, etc. Facebook will likely be appealing to people not in the tech circles or in the professional world. Is this yet one more move to make Facebook more like MySpace?
In steps AOL… I’m trying not to laugh…
AOL is no longer famous for the “you’ve got mail” tagline, rather the “we buy web content” buys they continue to make. AOL is heavily leveraged in several top blogs (like TechCrunch) and is snatching up blogs left and right in a move to remain relevant. This week, they are crying “look at me! I did email first!” by beta testing their new email system, “Project Phoenix” which looks a heck of a lot like Gmail and offers to bring over your Yahoo! messaging as well as Gmail messages, chat and the like.
Why does your email service provider matter? It’s not just about what others think, it’s about functionality, features, flexibility, privacy, stability and more. Facebook sends me messages days after someone has sent them and sometimes they simply disappear. AOL is where we used chat in the 1990s with the well rehearsed A/S/L line that we all faked for fun. I’m not alone in my inability to take either seriously, take a look at what famous web artist, Matt Inman charted about what people read into your email address:
I’m sticking with my own domain which forwards to my Gmail which I use as home base. What are your email plans? What are you sticking with, dumping or trying out?
BONUS: if you’re an email snob like me, Inman did another web comic called “If you do this in an email, I hate you.” You’re welcome.
Bryan Thompson
November 15, 2010 at 2:29 pm
Absolutely hilarious! I wouldn’t use Facemail and I definitely wouldn’t use AOL 88.0
Ashley
November 15, 2010 at 6:22 pm
I’m with you on sticking with the domain name forwarded to gmail.
However, I’m happy with an email like setup in the messaging department of Facebook. Will I forward my gmail account to it? NO.
Missy Caulk
November 15, 2010 at 9:44 pm
Same as you, my own domain, and have gmail forward to it.
Ann Cummings
November 16, 2010 at 5:48 am
I use my own domain. I can’t imagine using FB email at this point, and why would anyone do that, especially with all the privacy issues that continue to crop up almost daily over there. Love the chart with this article!
Paula Henry
November 16, 2010 at 5:50 am
I’ll keep what I have – my own domain and gmail.
Julia
November 16, 2010 at 11:33 am
I’m another ‘owndomain.com’ to gmail kinda gal. For each of my websites (and they are legion) I have a separate email acct and they all route through the same gmail account.
I voted for getting facemail but not really using it. FB is a great way to contact someone if you don’t have phone or email address for them. I’m assuming their email service will make that easier as well…
Ruthmarie Hicks
November 16, 2010 at 8:35 pm
Gmail – that’s my story and I’m sticking with it! Gotta get to that domain name thing though. It’s been an identity crisis that has held me back. I really don’t want the “Ruthmarie” in the domain. It’s clunky, awkward and hard to remember. (I answer to “hey you!” on reflex because very few people can remember my oddball name.) But on Google – its an awesome name to have. Google my name and page after page all about me. It’s even got my publications from when I was academia. So I feel I gotta keep it in the domain name.
AOL is launching “The Patch” all over Westchester NY. Very local content. This is national effort. Our area is being saturated with patches. So far there is the New Rochelle Patch, the Larchmont-Mamaroneck Patch, the Tarrytown-Sleepy Hollow Patch, The Dobbs Ferry Patch, the Bronxville-Eastchester Patch, the Harrison Patch and they just launched the White Plains Patch. Check it out if you like – whiteplains.patch.com/ – I am speaking with the editor about a weekly real estate column.
Word of warning if you look – you will see the seedy details of our mayor on trial for spousal abuse. I see its on the front page. It’s a 3-ring circus with several complete morons positioning themselves to take the current mayors place should he be convicted.