drew olanoff dot com.

Email - The OG Social Network Platform

So I’ve been talking a lot about my disdain for referencing Facebook, MySpace, etc. as a “social network”.  They’re platforms.

Having said that, why do we need so many platforms in the first place?  Ok well one reason is sharing with more than one person.   Twitter does that nicely.  Group chats on IM do that nicely.  Facebook groups handle that nicely.

But other than serious group activities, what exactly is wrong with the old school Electronic Mail?

It’s my #1 Social Networking Platform.  By far.

Here’s why:

- I can contact whomever I want to, immediately

- I can contact multiple people to share a public message, immediately

- I can stay logged in all of the time, and don’t have to wade through a bunch of junky features and other apps to do anything

- It has notifications to mobile devices, so don’t chirp at me about how great Twitter is for this

- I can attach any file I like.  I can share any link I like.  I can even style any way I like.

- It can be very personal.   An email address is like your home address.   If I come to your door, knock nicely, and you invite me in, that’s outfreakingstanding.

That’s a tool that handles your social network.

Now, new tools are being built all of the time on top of email to help manage the email.  Well, how about new tools that help you manage the PEOPLE behind the email.  You know.  The people who write the emails?  The people who MATTER.  The people in my social network?  

Imagine that.  Simplicity.   Simplicity and personalization.  

Why do we spend so much of our time building and trying and bitching about things and what features they do have or don’t have or don’t work or should work, or what platform they’re written on when….

Email just works.

Maybe I’m an OG.  But my social network knows I care about them.  Does yours?