So Facebook just revealed the details of it’s new messaging system. I system that is based around people not around conversations. Which is very different from traditional email and I can that the main purpose is to make it more informal and personal to get users to spend even more time on the platform so they see it as their go to communications hub. It is about messages not email and they have added email functionality on top of the system. It allows for strict rules about what you see and what you don’t see. I like the concept but I wonder if general digital usage patterns of multiple social networks were considered during the building of the system. The streams of conversations from IM, SMS and email into one is great and is probably meant to reinforce the usage of facebook as your one stop shop of communications.
I can’t wait to try it out but I am not sure how I would use it right now. It uses a facebook email address system that I think they want to over time take over from your current email for human conversations at least but I am not sure I want to put all my communications on a single place. There are many communications islands out there and the social inbox is a good start at simplifying it but I am not sure I would trust any one network be it Google, Facebook or whoever for my communications needs.