elearnspace

I usually agree with everything you say George, but I think that these kids (I didn't read the source) will not use email when they get to the office, or more likely only use when they have to talk to us old people. Email is pretty much dead to them and this is really sad news for all the established people who in 1995 -96 told me they would never need it and now couldn't imagine life without it.

The middle of the road solution is gmail it is so slick you can almost use it like IM. This might allow the kids to participate a little more... but they are talking on chat or their facebook wall and will continue to look for more integrated ways to communicate like Me.dium and Twitter.

Lee

Hi Lee - thanks for your comment. Obviously trying to determine the future digital habits of the next generation is a stab in the dark. I think there are two main aspects to email that will ensure it's future:
1. asynchronous nature of email (time for thought, reflection, review, correspondence with others) has a future value.
2. The drawback with facebook/myspace and other social networking sites is their closed nature. If I want to email you with a question/comment, I don't need to have any direct, formal relationship or connection (as is required by social networking sites...depending, of course, on how the user has configured permissions). The low hassle of making contact with someone via email (weak ties?) is a strength that is not found in social systems that are currently insular.

As you mention, we may likely end up with a more hybrid approach that blends the functionality of different toolsets...

Good point. That drives email to be a tool for those not in a trusted virtual relationship. Which is a little more valued by businesses then youth in general.. so right tool, right context... OK, I agree with everything you say again. ;)

Hi George,

I came across this interesting blog post a couple weeks ago from the guys over at 37Signals: http://www.37signals.com/svn/posts/483-a-reminder-about-the-power-of-email . What's ironic is that every tool these guys produce is meant to either eliminate or reduce email in business.

Jody

Hi Jody - thanks for the link. I spend a fair bit of time reading rss feeds, but find that if anything, my email use has increased over the last five years. Sure, we've got social bookmarking sites, etc...but even then, I get emails about updates :).
George

Hi!
I think (maybe wrongly) that e-mail will keep its place in the web-communication world. Like George said, sometimes we need time to think about that question/answer. It's the old discussion about synchron and assynchron tools (sorry, I really don't know how to spell the word): they're both needed, according to the use we want to give them. Sometimes I like to interact to my teachers via Second Life, for example, and sometimes I prefer a web forum. If I want a quick answer, of course I'll use the first one. But if I want a "better" answer, I really prefer the second one.
I also haven't read the article, so I don´t know if I'm repeating it: the thing is that kids, nowadays, want the "now" instead of the "let me think about it". But, hey! they're kids... didn't we used to think like that too?

I know I am dating myself, but the same thing was said about snailmail when e-mail first became popular. The fact is, I still have a mailbox stuffed with printed material including letters. The format has changed, and form letters can now be personalized. I think that e-mail will become the formal means of communication in the future (it has already moved to this in business) while Web 2.0 will be the informal means. (However, I still get postcards in the Mail, which I prefer to an e-postcard--as do my children).

Hi Virginia - good comparison with traditional mail. "snail mail" is still a big part of society. Though, more and more bills etc. are now handled via electronic access. But even then, I imagine people still print them for a copy. Recall the declarations that we were going to be paperless? Hasn't happened. Too much occurs too quickly for such broad predictions to hold much value...