Facebook says its new Messages service is no Gmail killer, and Google’s CEO has said he is not concerned. Bellow you may find some LI members’ opinions about this topic.
«I feel no, Facebook is one of the best networking site to communicate and keep in touch everyday.»
Sean Lopez
«Yes! Some people think FB messaging service will replace email in the future….»
Kate Jillings
«Well, inertia is a powerful force. It takes some getting for people to switch e-mail services, especially when it comes to the hassles of changing your contact information with friends, banks, credit cards and other organizations that use your address. Even then, the possibility cannot be ruled out. Facebook already has a treasure trove of personal information and a huge messaging platform. Throw email into the mix and you have a deadly combination. And there’s also the social element: FB knows very well who your friends are and how closely you’re connected to them; it can very well do a pretty good job of figuring out which personal emails you want to read most and prioritize them accordingly. With more than 500 million users, FB is a giant much bigger than all email providers. If it can manage to integrate the new messaging system with the main interface, I think FB will get even “stickier” than it is and will make people keep their distance from the privacy-invading behemoth.»
Abdul Rahim Hasan
«It would be death for Google to say that it is worried, whether it is or not. New technology does not kill old technology immediately. It layers on top of old ways of doing things. Email is not, despite what Facebook says, dead. Facebook is engaging in a little psyche-out with Google, pretending that it’s David to Google’s Goliath, when it hasn’t been David for years. Watch, in 5 years as Facebook becomes MySpace and some new, even cooler platform takes over the zeitgeist and we all forget about Mark Z.»
Erica Friedman
«Absolutely not. While Facebook has the user base, their current platform apparently does not have the ability to support a real email service. I’ve been using the “New Messages” for a few weeks now, and my conclusion about it is “Seriously? That’s it?”»
Brian Altenhofel
«I am concerned about the privacy issues that are going to come up…not at an IT level, but because people have begun to let down their guard where they’d have never done so like this in a shopping mall meeting someone and talking, or a cafe, or elsewhere. Facebook does not seem secure to me in that sense rather than the security of their messaging system. I’m seeing droves of people joining facebook then baring their souls and their everyday existence…then realizing you cannot take that back. One thing you must say is that communication is still more or less in writing but not for long. Voice recognition etc is going to become more common. So facebook may serve a purpose as it’s more visual than verbal for many folks and the others still require more written communication. Like it or not, many people find that requires a little work!»
Heather Vitaglione
Maybe you have something to add?
Interesting to see how many different perspectives there are on the Google-Facebook wars! What about Microsoft? How about the impact of Mobile technologies? Mobile device sales now outpace regular computer sales. Will a majority of the internet go mobile and how will that impact Facebook and Google??