I recently read an article about how the new generation of kids are replacing e-mails with facebook messages and text phone messages. Has it really come time for the e-mail to be retired in favour of the more “hip” alternatives? I think not.
Text messages and facebook (or any social network) are not replacement for e-mails. Yes, people use e-mails for a quick message here and there, but it offers a lot more than that. Have you ever tried to CC or BCC people on a facebook message? What about forwarding or including more people in future replies? What about sending a message with an attachment? You get the idea. IMO, what people use facebook and texting for now is more like what instant messengers (IM) does than what e-mails do. They’re fine for sending a quick message here and there. But if I’m starting a conversation that I might want to search for later on, I’ll stick to my Gmail with its awesome search engine. Even with my IMs I can archive chats on the filesystem, which I can use Google Desktop to search through later on.
