Buffer

Facebook Announces A “Modern New Messaging” System

Written by - 6 Comments
Categories: Facebook, Social Media

I don’t know if you have noticed, but the way we communicate is changing. We used to have one choice and it was the telephone and if you wanted to contact someone, have a conversation or make a sales call then the phone was ‘it’.Facebook announces a modern new messaging system

Along came email with the birth of the internet and communicating became faster and deeper with the ability to attach documents, images and even video.

SMS and instant messaging have become the communication of choice for Gen Y and the high school generation. They would rather SMS you ten times  than have one conversation and if you get a phone call you know it is serious… it is either money or a personal drama.

Communication has become more informal, simpler, instant and multichannel and Facebook is hoping to set the new standard that addresses those changes.

Mark  Zuckerberg has just announced in San Francisco what he calls a “Modern Messaging System” that will reflect what Facebook believes will address the needs of his 500 million Facebook users with

  • 350 million people using Facebook’s messaging system
  • 4 Billion messages being sent every day including chat

What will this messaging system look like?

It will be according to Zuckerberg

  • Seamless
  • Informal
  • Inmmediate
  • Personal
  • Simple

The structure of this system will have three key things: Seamless messaging, conversation history and a social inbox.

Maybe it is time to have the traditional messaging systems challenged that kept each communication system in silos and have one system that includes email, chat and SMS that integrates into the social web.

A Facebook engineer who is working on the system  said “People should share however they want to share”.

So watch out over the next few months as Facebook launches it on an invitation only rollout.

Image by miss_blackbutterfly


Tags: , , , , , , , ,
  • http://blog.esimplestudios.com Gabriele Maidecchi

    Am I the only one to think email isn’t that bad after all?

    • http://www.wearethefreeradicals.com Gareth Rees

      I’m with you on that. We use primarily email for my free content newsletters – powerful, direct, long copy editorial packed with useful ideas and advice, with the occasional promotional push. We use emails to drive traffic back to websites. We’ve now integrated social media which is helping as a research and communication tool. But by no means is it threatening to replace our email anytime soon. But the social media adventure is fascinating and we’re definitely on for the ride.

    • http://twitter.com/davehennessy Dave Hennessy

      There’s nothing wrong with email. In my opinion, it’s the last true formal way of communicating online. Everything else is built for simple, quick posting and responding – like this comment box (granted this is a bit more formal than a Facebook message, but you get the idea).

      I think email will eventually phase out, but definitely not for a few more years.

  • http://InboxDetox.com Marsha Egan

    Facebook’s e-mail release puts me in a quandary.

    While I have been working diligently to help people take control of their lives and “own” all of the electronica that flies their way, yesterday’s announcement by Facebook that they are unleashing an e-mail capability makes me say hmmmmmm.

    A new e-mail platform means more e-mail. That adds to information overload. Information overload sucks time away from doing what is truly important to us. So my first impression is that this new capability is just another platform that interferes with our lives.

    But the way Zuckerberg and Facebook have designed this feeds to the social aspect of electronic communication, rather than the business aspect. It is interesting to note that the platform does not allow for CC’s or BCC’s. Nor does it allow for subject lines. Additionally, readers will see all of the e-mails from the same person at one gander. Finally users can determine from whom they want to receive e-mails or not. This underscores the fact that the e-mail is designed to enhance social interaction, not business cover your butt e-mails.

    The people who are on Facebook want to be there, and want to connect with friends and family. If this e-mail platform makes it more convenient, and makes life more enjoyable for those 500 million people on Facebook, who am I to judge? After all, aren’t friends and family one of our most important priorities?

  • http://www.stopthinksocial.com David Christopher

    I made a prediction in September 2008 that email would disappear in 10 years and be replaced with something more social and more collaborative. Google Wave came and went, and now we have this Facebook messaging service that is marketed as “definitely not email”.

    Let’s get realistic. The way we communicate IS changing and it will continue to evolve. RSS Readers are not a replacement for email, but it has allowed people to track and respond to information that they wish to follow. Information now comes to the user.

    Personally I welcome these new ideas to evolve our communications. Is this Facebook messaging service yet another platform? YES. Is it going to revolutionize our communication? NO. BUT the journey has begun to replace traditional communication styles (like email) with a new form of social communications and for me I want to get on the train and see where this journey ends.

  • Pingback: Social Networking: NOT Just Social Anymore! « National Lumber's Blog