Facebook Prepares A Gmail-Killer

Channel Description:

Latest Articles in this Channel:

02/05/10--06:47: modelportfolio2003 (chan 1242148)

Here is why not a gmail killer. Google has carefully integrated gmail into the Google ecosystem so anyone wishing to be part of it wants a google account with gmail, esp if they use an Android device. With increasing numbers of Android devices in 2010, gmail will be the default email of choice. Hopefully by the end of 2010, Google will have figured out the wrinkles in Wave and finally kill off email which is itself a 40 year old feature!


02/05/10--06:48: Mark (chan 1242148)

I just don't see this killing gmail. While facebook is certainly building a more respectable reputation (and is light-years ahead of myspace), it still isn't a mature business tool. I mean, it's filled with time-wasting games and photos of people getting drunk at parties. Now, that isn't to say that everybody's page is like that. Mine, for example, doesn't (and hasn't ever) used a single application or game. I've never been a zombie, a vampire, a pirate, or a ninja. Both Farmville and Mafia Wars fill me with disappointment in the human race. I do recognize, however, that even though some people conduct their facebook lives in a respectable manner, we can't change the way the site is perceived - and perception is reality. Don't get me wrong, I'm sure their email system would be used by high school students everywhere, but I don't ever see it being gmail. Let me put it this way: If I were applying to Goldman Sachs, I would never list my email address as first.last@facebook.com. Would you?


02/05/10--07:18: Mail (chan 1242148)

Why does e-mail need to be killed? Snail mail is even older, still around, and needed.


02/05/10--07:21: You're right (chan 1242148)

I totally agree with your last comment, having a ***@facebook.com email just screams slacker or begs the interviewer to look up your page and see your drunken debauchery. No thanks!


02/05/10--07:24: theman (chan 1242148)

Why does everything have to be a killer on this site. You "understanding" of it presumes me to believe that you haven't even seen it.... Honestly I believe there is room for both. I don't plan on changing I have 4+ years of emails stored in GMAIL and I have no idea how I would switch. The search functionality in GMAIL is incredible and based on the Facebook search product I don't think those dweebs have it figured out.


02/05/10--07:47: Henry Blodget (chan 1242148)

This is smart. Facebook is a much better home for an email, contact, communications dashboard than Google or Yahoo. And as I've ranted about on a few occasions, Google's insistence on doing email their way has left a big opening for Facebook or another competitor to do it the way users want. The question is whether they can come from behind. Gmail did, though. And Facebook has a great base of users to do it from, many of whom have already shared their contacts.


02/05/10--07:53: bruce wayne (chan 1242148)

How in the world can fb be the killer of anything. They cant even sort out the UI for the space that they are in. And further to this; can we trust a company that puts cash in front of member privacy with email ? You must be joking.....What sane person in their right mind would use fb to store email....


02/05/10--08:58: anonymous (chan 1242148)

Facebook, of all websites, is going to do things the way users want? Facebook? With their endless series of misbegotten site redesigns jammed down users' throats one after another? Not to mention their cavalier twentysomething's attitude towards privacy. They'd probably set all of your e-mail to "Readable by everyone" by default, and force you to go into settings to change it.


02/05/10--09:34: DigitizedSociety (chan 1242148)

Completely agree with the thought that @facebook.com is pretty unprofessional. I still am amazed when i see professionals having their companies email as "@hotmail.com" I understand that Facebook is trying to pull people into using Facebook for more parts of their digital life (IM, Email, Current Events), because the more you get them to come to Facebook for all of their needs the more you can push advertisements at them. This plan I'm sure is much more geared towards being the only email account that tweens use and for adult Facebook users as their "personal" account instead of Yahoo! or Google or dare I say AOL? But, lets not forget how this is just asking for spam galore. Facebook seems to be pretty good at catching the accounts that are spammers, but once your username has the possibility of an email account that is your "username@facebook.com" look out. I think its going to be pretty easy for spammers to find out usernames via all the public profiles. Gmail at least doesn't have a simple easy search/browse tool for spammers to get a listing of people that have gmail accounts. Facebook email may take off as being used for personal accounts, but Gmail will still be king for "professional accounts".


02/05/10--17:43: angrymob (chan 1242148)

Yeah, you're exactly right. Facebook hasn't exactly sold me on either UI design or privacy and security. The latter is paramount when it comes to e-mail. In addition the fact that they insist on cross-promoting features even when I am totally uninterested in them (no compartmentalization) makes me worry that facebook email would be incredibly annoying and burdened by intrusive facebook crap.