Why Email and Phones Still Rule
Adam Engst on why email rules:
Gina Trapani says there's a time when shutting down email makes sense:
Twitter and Facebook might be how many of us communicate these are good reminders that two old stalwarts - email and the phone - are not going away.
"It all comes down to two simple facts: email is based on open standards, and it's the lowest common denominator for Internet communication. Any communication system that wishes to supplant email will need to offer both openness and ubiquity, and nothing available today comes even close."
Gina Trapani says there's a time when shutting down email makes sense:
"If you're looking for a quick answer to a question, a phone call (when the person on the other end picks up) yields an immediate response, but an email could languish unread in ten inboxes. When an exchange involves several back-and-forths, days' worth of email could be avoided with a five-minute call."
Twitter and Facebook might be how many of us communicate these are good reminders that two old stalwarts - email and the phone - are not going away.


Comments 13 Comments
(here because Miles Nadal of MDC Partners gave this link a Tweet.)
Many social networking platforms face a trade-off. They usually allow users to avoid push, which lowers barriers to sign-on, but with our busy lives and multiple platforms it becomes harder and harder to pull us in--sometimes even when we are pretty passionate about the network or its topical focus and would like to be part of new conversations taking place there.
It will be interesting to see what happens as the workforce becomes filled with generations of people who grew up with new social networking rituals.
One thing that will be hard for any technology to duplicate is one's ability to judge the tone and inflection of the human voice during a phone call or even better, a face-to-face meeting. Humor and goodwill is sometimes lost in the written word, and there is no better way to solve any problem or assess any situation than through a good, old-fashioned phone call. Great post and thanks for the insight!
Brad
This draws a blank stare from me, and I remembered what my mother used to say, "If you can't say anything nice, don't say anything."
Thanks mom.
Next question for the panel was my reply.