Using Facebook/Twitter instead of email

January 26, 2009 / Filed under: Facebook, Twitter, Social Networking, Email

Someone once said that Facebook is "Email 2.0." (Don't ask me whom; I don't have a link.) I think this is very true, though. Facebook is "social email" - the way email was intended to be used. The more our regular email inboxes fill up with spam and bacn - the more I see Facebook as the primary way to connect with me.

Rather than giving out my email address, I'd prefer to provide my Facebook URI, or something that easily connects people to my Facebook account. Problem is - what is that resource to give out? My full Facebook URI is too difficult to write down or even remember.

http://facebook.com/profile.php?id=711582259

I could tell the person to "search for Matt Thommes on Facebook." but that would be dumb because they'd likely mis-spell my name, or forget it completely. There could even be another "Matt Thommes" on Facebook that lives in New Zealand.

The point is - an email address is absolutely unique - a person's name is not.

Twitter, on the other hand, is unique. I am the only @Matthom out there. This is also shorter than providing a URL, so this would be ideal for passing around.

Opt-in

The only problem with this approach is it requires the person to sign up for either Facebook or Twitter, before they contact me. With email, people know to go to their email client and compose a new message. With Facebook and Twitter, for novice web users - they may have no idea where to start.

Email seems more effective since almost everyone has an email address, and know how to compose a new message.

Email is not social

But email is also one-sided. By that I mean, when you go to email someone, you are doing it blindly. You can't find anything out about a person from their email address alone. Facebook and Twitter are great conversation starters, because you can see what the person is doing, thinking, or sharing. Regular email is simply not social.

Provide all services

So how do I provide someone with ways to contact me, other than direct email? I think the best way is to include all relevant social networks - that way, the person can choose how they'd like to contact me. Maybe they are an avid Flickr user and prefer to connect with me that way. Or maybe Twitter is their "network of choice."

Until one service comes out and solves this multi-network dilemma (and gains credible adoption), our online personas will continue to be spread around the web.

Comments/Mentions

# Jeff at 1/27/2009 3:02 pm cst

I've always hoped that friend feed could be that. The sort of tie in of all the external services and networks out there. Kind of a repository of information on a person. You could get to know a bit about them by their habits and activity. If you want to drill into a specific service you just click it and punch out to that specific network.

It be nice if there was a "message me" option on Friend Feed that would forward that message to the network of your choice. Twitter, facebook or even plain old e-mail.

# Matthom at 1/29/2009 9:27 am cst

Yeah good idea. Some way to provide a non FriendFeed user with a way to contact you. Behind the scenes, it could send to you as a Twitter DM, Facebook message, etc.