As a member of the SEO industry I have spent a lot of time using the new 'social' websites that have risen from the depths over the past years. Many of them like Myspace and Facebook which at first were hugely popular with the younger demographic, are being embraced by the mainstream. (See this) Facebook now reaches out to and gives functionality for all ages, and is changing the way people use the internet. In addition, there are Delicious, Reddit and Digg which are landmark sites in their niche, which employ the users desire to save and store content to actively take part in the sites.

So with the availability of social networking, social news and micro-blogging sites out there: is email dead?

The latest trend micro-blogging is another attack on email. Twitter started as a micro-blogging platform which in itself wasn’t much different to email, you sign in leave a message and friends can see it and respond; great for keeping contact with your virtual friends from Digg or Reddit etc. This micro-blogging system is now fast becoming mainstream (See here & here) with the MSN messenger style browser extensions and client installs like twitterfox and snitter, now make it even easier to keep in touch with your friends.

Do I think social platforms will kill off email?

No it wont, it may seriously damage its usage but ultimately the introduction of email was a milestone in the internet and will continue to be used for the foreseeable future. Its like the wheel, it was a landmark event in our civilization and has yet to be beaten. Other forms of transport exist but the wheeled vehicle will always be the simplest solution. As the younger generation grows they may use web 2.0 functionality but they will always be based on the foundation of email

What do you think?