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In a move that has confounded Gmail and Yahoo, Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg has announced the social messaging network’s new messaging system, which is essentially a pooling service that will bring together SMS, Instant Messaging, email and Facebook chat.The new system would allow users to choose whichever mode of communication they preferred, while the Facebook messaging system would work out the way Facebook friends preferred to be contacted and route the message accordingly.
Denying that the company is taking on Google Inc’s and Yahoo Inc’s popular email platforms, founder Mark Zuckerberg said that while the new system would allow users to own @facebook.com addresses, email would only be one part of the new service, according to Reuters.
Zuckerberg said that 350 million of Facebook’s half-billion users who actively sent messages on the Facebook website did not see communications being email-based in future.
He claimed people would shift to an integrated cross-platform mode of communications, which would include an inbox devoted to a user’s friends and contacts on Facebook, and another for other mail and messages.
The move by Facebook confirms a study by Gartner last week, which advised companies to invest in communications and collaboration to pursue innovative organisational and work-style change that would see Email taking on many social attributes, while social networks develop richer email capabilities.
Gartner’s survey claimed 20 percent of employees expected to use social networks as their business communications’ hub by 2014, providing them with richer interactions among people and enabling collaboration at a much broader level.
Monica Basso, research vice president at Gartner said: “The rigid distinction between e-mail and social networks will erode,” Basso said. “E-mail will take on many social attributes… while social networks will develop richer e-mail capabilities.”
The revamp is said to be the biggest project Facebook has worked on to date involving 15 engineers working for more than 15 months.
Eden Zoller, Principal Analyst at Ovum said the move now puts Google, Microsoft and Yahoo! on the defensive. The move would also give telcos a lot to think about as Facebook is becoming an increasingly rich communication platform.
“All it needs to do now is put search into the equation,” said Zoller.
“An email service from Facebook makes a lot of sense. It has a huge base of 500 million users that already love to communicate and share, and Facebook is giving them richer ways to do this through virtual gifts, games, location and even voice thanks to the recent integration deal with Skype.
“Adding email to the mix is a logical step and Facebook could tap into user data to provide an attractive, highly personalised service. You would also expect it to push mobile features given its big move in this direction,” added Zoller.
