Last week, I received a communication from a colleague who is charged with developing an alumni tracking service for her college -- essentially a way to stay in touch, update, and yes, even solicit funds from, the many students who've passed through those hallowed halls.
She'd read an article I've linked to here which suggests that email may be going away, or at the least evolving, and that will challenge the way traditional "development" offices (the term often given to University departments in charge of fundraising from the community of former students) do business.
Please read the article and post a response in the comments section below. Do you agree with the predictions? Do they really reflect your web and email habits? Do you primarily use your DCC or Southside email address? Do you use different email accounts for school versus, say, social business? What sites do you frequent most? What digital assets or online content do you "take with you" wherever you spend time online (eg Facebook, MySpace, news RSS)?
~mrc
For myself, I don't think that E-mail will die out completely. Big game companies, like BioWare, Blizzard, and others all have Beta testing they need done. As far as that goes, I can't see any other way of companies getting those resources to the specific people that get singled out for Beta testing.
ReplyDeleteI don't bother using my school E-mail, I just use my regular Hotmail account because I like to keep all of my information in one place. I primarily use the internet for playing games, watching youtube videos or frequenting a few forums I'm a part of. I don't generally use facebook or myspace, but I have them for the occasional message for people that don't check their email a lot.
I don't think that email will completely die out but it will be limited most likely. I myself don't use the internet that much anyway, but I still check my email occasionally, but not every day like a lot of people do. I have never used my school email(I don't even know what it is). I don't really check myspace or facebook that often but that is mainly because my internet is slow.
ReplyDeleteI agree with the predictions. With the different types of communication that are available now, it is more convenient than waiting until you get home to use a computer. The whole world can be accessed from a cell phone, which also makes having a (portable) laptop obsolete. Eventually, the only purpose a computer or laptop will serve will be to type on.
ReplyDeleteI believe that e-mail will eventually evolve to accommodate new features that the public desire. I use my Yahoo account most often for e-mail. I only use the site for that one purpose, and I'd say many others are the same way. To make e-mail a desirable alternative to other means of messaging, I believe that it must evolve.
ReplyDeleteLike everything else e-mail will eventually give way to a new form of messaging. What that is remains to be seen, but without a doubt it will change. Personally I hardly ever access my MSN or google accounts. More people these days (myself included) use Myspace or Facebook to check there mail. However theses in my opinion are starting to go away due to Twitter becoming so popular.
ReplyDeletePoint is everything changes due to public demand, not to say everyone will stop using their e-mail, myspace, facebook, etc. It just the way technology moves, we're going to move with it.
I agree with the predictions to an extent. I do believe that email is dying but I'm not too sure if it's going to die out completely. There will always be a need for it. It does reflect my online habit pretty well and I don't use my DCC email account. To be honest, I didn't even know I had one. And I only use one email adress for everything. And I don't bring any of it with me. Just my phone, and i never go online with it.
ReplyDeleteI don't think email will die. While I agree that social networking sites are strong competition they have arose because of popularity. MySpace is a perfect example its use has fallen alot over the last few months. Email however became widespread due to how well it functioned which is why I think it will out live these sites.
ReplyDeleteWell I do not think that email will just die, just look at it as up grading to a new but fast way to send a message. Everyone has not gone through the change yet. I still use email, but not a lot, because we still have paper and pens or pencils, and let's not forget about the phone if I wanted to talk to someone.
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion, email is still useful. But it is not as convient somedays as text messaging, and other things like that. It will probably upgrade to keep up with the rest of technology, but I doubt it will die.
ReplyDeleteI don't think that email will ever just go away. However, I do believe that like everything else it will be changed to something more effective. For example, text messaging is just another form of an email. I think that it is safe to say that it is going to be around for awhile and that it is going to be the best way to keep in touch with someone for a long time to come.
ReplyDeletei do not think that emails will die due to the fact that a lot of people use emails as a way of communication. Me i use my cell and do a lot of texing the rest does not interest me. I do however think that it should be a persons choice of how they want to communicate and its really up to them as individuals.
ReplyDeleteI don't think it will be the end of email. Were just going to a new age of technology and everything will become excible in the palm of your hands. Every year something new comes out. I never visit myspace or facebook. I don't want people to know my buisness too many nuts out there. I barely use the computer only at school to type a paper.
ReplyDeleteI don't think email will ever completely die out. Without a doubt, it is being used less due to other means of communication such as instant messaging, myspace, facebook, etc. Email is a way that businesses advertise as well as communicate via attachments and other important kinds of informstion that can't be sent any other way.
ReplyDelete