Facebook can make Email Social but can it Kill Gmail?
Hailing from the Bay Area, Brian has recently been immersed in the social media whirlwind, following a combination of never-ending startups and the big giants (Google, Apple, Facebook). In his free time he is glancing at the stock market, chowing down delicious food, coaching tennis, or hanging with friends.
Today, everything is becoming social, including ebooks and soon to be � email. You should already know that Facebook is rumored to announce its email function tomorrow. Besides the typical email features that Gmail and Ymail also offer, Facebook email can provide so much more.
The thought of Facebook integrating features like Photos and Events into its email service is exciting. Imagine opening your email with newly tagged photos pop up on the side.
Sharing these photos is just a �drag and drop� action away. Event organizing can be done either on Facebook or email, syncing perfectly and shared with your Facebook network. Prioritizing e-mails could be based on an algorithm, which measures friendship strength.
All said are just speculations but the possibilities are certainly there. With 500 million users, even a 10 percent adoption rate would equate to 50 million users. No wonder many are calling it a possible �Gmail killer.�
Without trying the product, I�m not sure. But it will take Facebook a lot of effort to kill Gmail. When comparing both, many simply consider Gmail as an email. But don�t forget that this simple Gmail account connects you to a lot of other top-notch products: your Google Analytics, Adwords, Feedburner, Reader, Docs etc.
From a user point of view, it�s hard to totally quit Gmail. There are just too many products attached to it. While Google has products, Facebook has your network. I�m sure many will end up owning both emails and enjoying the best of both worlds. But if you were to choose only one, which will it be? Products or network?