Facebook Messages - one simple idea that can change Email

Facebook today has introduced the updated messaging system Facebook Messages, which is also known as "Email killer" or "GMail killer". Given that all Social Web inventions are now rapidly deployed to Enterprise, we are certainly want to find out if it will kill such useful business tools as Email and GMail. At first sight - it's nothing to worry about. Although Facebook Messages can really replace Email in communications between family and friends, but in the Enterprise sphere it will be able to replace Email only in some cases for communication with customers. No one will use Facebook for important business correspondence because of its privacy issues. However, one simple idea of Facebook Messages can change the Email position in the Enterprise too.



This simple idea is "Email - is just one of the ways to hold a discussion." In Facebook Messages - messages are added to single discussion regardless of via what channel they were sent - internal messaging system, instant messenger, email or SMS. So why discussions in the business environment should be linked only to one of the communication tools - email, sms, phone, instant messenger, video chat? If you've started to discuss something by email and then continued by phone - why the conversation history is stored in different places?

Unified communications, that are now implemented in large companies - in fact, unify only the contact list and the communication client, but not discussions. Even in GMail, that includes sms, IM, video chat and VoIP service (Google Voice) - all these tools work separately, not integrating around discussions.

Perhaps one simple Facebook idea will change everything  ...

See also: Top 10 Email services