15.Nov.2010 Falling in love with Facebook’s modern messaging system
I’ve been social as long as I can remember. I believe there is something magical about getting “fun†mail (i.e. NOT junk mail or bills). I’ve saved every letter I’ve ever gotten. Some call me a packrat – but I like to think of myself as a romantic. There is something powerful about being able to look  back at how a relationship has changed since the first correspondence.
Three hours ago, conversation as we know it changed forever – and I fell in love with a new kind of mail.
Zuckerberg discusses three key elements of the new messaging system (AP Photo/Paul Sakuma)
Today, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced the launch of a new modern messaging system that will revolutionize the way we understand traditional messaging – and each other.
The idea was born when high school students told Zuckerberg they believe email is “too formal – too slow.†So Facebook set out to create a way of integrating instant messaging, SMS and email into a single inbox, dubbed a “social inbox.â€
The idea is simple yet profound. Theoretically, you only need two things to send a message to someone: a recipient and a message. In short, it’s point, click, send – and Facebook will handle the rest, thanks to the optional “facebook.com†email address.
No subject lines, no cc – and you can send simply by clicking the Enter key.  Every messages sent through the system will be arranged into a single thread. Imagine what that will do for friendships – or relationships, or even worse – a messy breakup. However, that’s beside the point. Individually, 4,673 messages between me and my best friend are completely meaningless, but collectively, they form a narrative of a relationship.
“This isn’t an email killer,†Zuckerberg said, responding directly to the longtime buzz that Facebook’s “Project Titan†intended to kill off popular email providers like Yahoo and Gmail. That’s not the goal – not yet, at least. Instead, Zuckerberg emphasizes the company has fashioned its messaging less like traditional email and more like chat.
Its simple, real-time communication – and why not? Facebook already hosts over 4 billion messages daily and recently overtook Google as the most popular website in the world.
Like it or not, its here to stay. Once dubbed a fad, behemoths like Facebook have become household names, easily making social media the biggest cultural shift since the industrial revolution.
Agree? Disagree? Weigh in.
