Facemail!
The other day, rumors started surfacing that Facebook are planning a fully fledged Email-product. That’s right, a Facemail with POP/IMAP-support and everything. It will basically replace Facebook’s standard messaging functionality with a beefed combo that does everything Facebook messages AND Gmail combined does today.
[Edit: Today I started typing a name to send a message and happened to type the wrong name. Take a look at this suggestion that came up. "You can type an email adress". Cool.]
The second I saw this headline, it was just so clear – OF COURSE! Facebook is communication centric. It really makes MORE sense for Facebook to have an email product than anybody else. And while Facebook has been growing ever stronger as a way to identify yourself on the web, your email adress has still remained the default standard. For many of us, this means Gmail, at least in matters of private nature, but now, with Facebook launching something like this, it really makes a lot of sense to use Facebook as your default identifier. Facebook is just way more communication-centric and integrated than Google.
Apparently, you will get a new Facemail adress on the form yourvanityurl@facebook.com (gosh I’m happy I have a unique name), and my bet is that we’ll see a lot of those addresses flying around pretty soon. It just makes sense. Not registered your vanity URL yet? Do it now!
[Edit 2: Trying to email to walternaeslund at facebook.com gives me the following though:
Also noting that they are running Microsoft Exchange... hmm...
]
Facebook Professional?
And what’s next? Of course, Google is still way ahead of Facebook in many ways. Search, maps, and a ton of other Google innovations are beyond the scope of Facebook, but I wouldn’t be too surprised if a “Facebook Professional Suite” was in the works somewhere in a Mountainview basement. Facemail would make Facebook the default communications hub, and a professional suite along the lines of Google Apps would really make Facebook a very powerful professional tool. Or actually, they may leave typing and spreadsheeting to Google and just stick with the project management side of things – remember that Facebook is communications centric – and much of what is needed to make Facebook an amazing project management platform is already there.
With Hopes Of A Long And Violent War
I’m a firm believer in the power of the free market. Monopolies, whether state sponsored or spawned by bad mergers and aquisitions, are bad. But I do believe that as long as they are not protected by law, they will eventually be subject to competition if they stand still for too long. The fight Facebook is putting up against Google is really excellent for that reason. These two giants slugging it out and attacking each other’s territories will make for some really interesting developments in the coming decade.
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Probably you, not Facebook, are running MS Exchange, or?
You would think, wouldn’t you? But nope. We’re running Google Apps here, and you will also notice that this is a recipient side bounce message. They are indeed running MS Exchange.
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