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Google+, or, why email remains the killer app
It's amusing to read about folks declaring they're quitting email. One writer shared how he went on a strict Google+ diet: "I even stopped using e-mail."
No you didn't. Google+ is email. It is an evolutionary step, not a revolutionary step. I kind of wonder if Google+ is not Gmail with a different UI
Let's compare, shall we?
| Google+ | |
| You send and receive messages to and from people | You send and receive messages to and from people |
| The spin term is share | There isn't a spin term, it just is what it is |
| You can't send a message unless you specify at least one recipient | You can't send a message unless you specify at least one recipient |
| Distribution lists are called Circles | Distribution lists are called distribution lists |
| When you specify your recipient(s), you pick individual names from your Circles, you pick one or more Circles, or some mixture | When you specify your recipeint(s), you enter individual addresses (or pick them from your address book), or a mixture of addresses and distribution list addresses |
| Recipients all get the same message and all the attachments | Recipients all get the same message and all the attachments |
| Recipients reply to the message by adding a "Comment" which is seen by all the recipients and the original sender | Recipients can reply to just the sender, to all recipients, or to a subset |
| Recipients can forward incoming messages to other individuals or Circles or some mix | Recipients can forward incoming messages to other individuals or distribution lists or some mix |
| Users view incoming messages in a "Stream", which can be organized into sub-streams based on posts from senders belonging to one of your Circles | Users view incoming messages in an "Inbox", which can be organized by moving the messages manually, or automatically based on rules, into sub-folders |
Sure, Google+ has other features like Hangouts and stuff, but the core is the conversation, and the conversation is basically email. Like it always has been.
