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Facebook announces new Messaging Feature

blog.facebook.com

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Re: Facebook announces new Messaging Feature

#31

Post by Tomek_ »

chrisgoodrich wrote: post #19

The problem with this? (and all other attempts to change "messaging") Is that it requires users to do something different than they expect or do currently. The goal of having a "unified inbox" won't work unless you natively integrate with all the places where somebody currently sends messages. This requires the user to change their behavior for what? To have a "unified inbox?" I don't think that's compelling enough f…

For many people that won't be a problem - I think of those who already use Facebook inbox regulary, many of them already more often than e-mail. I've found out myself doing it more often recently. Why? It's easier and more convenient - when I write a message to John Doe I know exactly to who I am writing, with e-mail you have to remember which e-mail was whose, or which of the e-mails of Joe Doe that you have is that correct, latest one; and the same with phone numbers and SMSes. Yes, in a big scale of things, moving your communication with others to Facebook isn't the best idea ever, but in a day to day hurry you often forget about the great, big things and just stick to what's seems easier and faster now. That's why I think this has all the chances to actually be successful, for better or worse.

Re: Facebook announces new Messaging Feature

#32

Post by Tomek_ »

Does anyone here have already used it? I wonder about two things: file attachments, are they there? and 2nd thing: multi-persons conversation: can you add a new person to an already existing conversation? how does it work with chat or phone-messaging?

Re: Facebook announces new Messaging Feature

#33

Post by Tomek_ »

ibgeek wrote: post #3

Am I the only one who sees this as Google Wave Redux? I mean, they even hired the guy who created Google Wave.

Certainly they took some lessons from Wave, and that's good, for all the flop it was it had quite a lot of good ideas, and the main goal, of making "a better e-mail" was also something I was supporting. Let's see, maybe this will mobilize others (Google) to try again.

Re: Facebook announces new Messaging Feature

#34

Post by mike-cardwell »

flipbrad wrote: post #20

So according to their blog: “All of your messages with someone will be together in one place, whether they are sent over chat, email or SMS. You can see everything you’ve discussed with each friend as a single conversation. I’m intensely jealous of the next generation who will have something like Facebook for their whole lives. They will have the conversational history with the people in their lives all the way back…

"They will have the conversational history with the people in their lives all the way back to the beginning"

As will Facebook. What a terrible thought.

Re: Facebook announces new Messaging Feature

#35

Post by mike-cardwell »

davidw wrote: post #7
jhrobert wrote: post #4

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Please define "email" :) To me, an email is basically an email address.

http://www.ietf.org/rfc/rfc2821.txt

I'm going to be totally anal now. RFC 5321 obsoleted 2821 in 2008. Also, SMTP isn't the same as e-mail. Just like IMAP isn't the same as e-mail.

Re: Facebook announces new Messaging Feature

#36

Post by flipbrad »

mike-cardwell wrote: post #34
flipbrad wrote: post #20

So according to their blog: “All of your messages with someone will be together in one place, whether they are sent over chat, email or SMS. You can see everything you’ve discussed with each friend as a single conversation. I’m intensely jealous of the next generation who will have something like Facebook for their whole lives. They will have the conversational history with the people in their lives all the way back…

"They will have the conversational history with the people in their lives all the way back to the beginning" As will Facebook. What a terrible thought.

Quite. We're talking about a company that's under commercial pressure to systematically learn all it can about you, in other words, to bypass/do away with your privacy. And has a person at the helm with a revolutionary zeal that's perfectly aligned with that commercial pressure.

Somewhat like Google+Schmidt.

Re: Facebook announces new Messaging Feature

#37

Post by barber »

orblivion wrote: post #23
flipbrad wrote: post #20

So according to their blog: “All of your messages with someone will be together in one place, whether they are sent over chat, email or SMS. You can see everything you’ve discussed with each friend as a single conversation. I’m intensely jealous of the next generation who will have something like Facebook for their whole lives. They will have the conversational history with the people in their lives all the way back…

Well, possibly easier access anyway, since Facebook owns Facebook conversations. But if you've never changed your email address, it's not much different right?

The analogy of "Grandma's letters" really breaks down when you consider that Facebook owns the conversation.

Re: Facebook announces new Messaging Feature

#38

Post by chrisgoodrich »

Tomek_ wrote: post #31
chrisgoodrich wrote: post #19

The problem with this? (and all other attempts to change "messaging") Is that it requires users to do something different than they expect or do currently. The goal of having a "unified inbox" won't work unless you natively integrate with all the places where somebody currently sends messages. This requires the user to change their behavior for what? To have a "unified inbox?" I don't think that's compelling enough f…

For many people that won't be a problem - I think of those who already use Facebook inbox regulary, many of them already more often than e-mail. I've found out myself doing it more often recently. Why? It's easier and more convenient - when I write a message to John Doe I know exactly to who I am writing, with e-mail you have to remember which e-mail was whose, or which of the e-mails of Joe Doe that you have is that…

Agreed. And I see the larger vision.

Yes, it'll be easier. But I, for one, won't use Facebook Messages for SMS. Why would I text Facebook to text my buddy for me? When I can just select him from my address book?

All of a sudden the idea of unified communications and messaging is out the window.

Re: Facebook announces new Messaging Feature

#39

Post by cracki »

ibgeek wrote: post #3

Am I the only one who sees this as Google Wave Redux? I mean, they even hired the guy who created Google Wave.

smells that way. the difference is that facebook understands why Wave failed.

Wave failed because it had no interface to existing services. From that facebook blog post, it looks to me like facebook messages will have "transports" to email, IM (icq, aim, jabber, ...?), phone/SMS.

That's important. Really important. That way, there's no way you "lose" your friends by adapting the new system. You can still reach them!

I'd love to have a seamless experience between ...

* short urgent messages (SMS) * short low-priority messages (IM) * long messages (email)

facebook messages promises that. i'm tempted to see for myself.

Re: Facebook announces new Messaging Feature

#40

Post by tealtan »

Why this won't have the same problems that Google Wave faced:

+ It incorporates existing modes of communication. You HAD to have a Wave account to talk to someone else on Wave, and the biggest issue for me when I got my account was that I didn't have anyone to use Wave with. Facebook doesn't particularly care in this case, it wants to aggregate ALL your communication. You'll stay in touch with your less techy friends who still email you or text you.

+ Large user base with existing friends list. Google Wave started you out from scratch.

+ Really smart product video. Most people didn't want to watch the Google Wave video or got confused by it, whereas Facebook's video is super clear about what it is. It focuses less on the cool tech (unlike Google Wave) and focuses completely on why you will want to use it.

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