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Facemail Will Be A Disaster For Businesses

December 2nd, 2010 by Erin Posted in Business | No Comments »

“Email is dead,” claimed Mark Zuckerberg as he launched the new Facemail Messaging service a few weeks ago.

Zuckerberg believes the messaging service – which is “not e-mail” – will mark the end of traditional e-mail as we know it.

Essentially, Facemail will:

- replace a subject-based list of email with a people-based list.

- unify some media.

- archive messages permanently.

Innovative for sure, but will Facemail really replace enterprise email?

Not so fast.

Facemail poses many problems for businesses – large and small.

How?

First, let’s look at the issue of replacing subject-based lists with a people-based lists.

Facebook would have us believe that the standard email setup of subject/recipients/text is antiquated. It proposes that the inbox is better organized as a list of conversations with people, not as a list of topics.

In the new Facebook Messaging, you’ll see a list of people; when you click on a person, you’ll see a list of all the messages you and that person have ever exchanged.

It’s certainly possible that this idea would be useful for a social inbox, but for business? Not so much. Most business users need to be able to follow the thread of a conversation, yet keep several conversations on different topics separate — even if the conversations are with the same people.

It also looks as though Facebook won’t provide control over the recipient list when replying to a thread. This, too, is bad for business — it’s important for users to be able to add and delete recipients and spawn side-conversations.

Second, the issue of unified media.

Facemail is email, text messaging, and instant messaging (or chat) all rolled into one. There’s talk of Skype being included as well. This isn’t exactly triumphant news. Many enterprise email systems already have unified messaging features – and guess what? They’re great for those people who communicate in a social context, but for business it’s much less important. The tools are always available for everyone to get email when they need it.

Lastly, the permanent archival of messages.

Facebook says it will preserve these messages – text, chat, messages – forever. And, THAT could be very problematic for employers and inhouse counsel which have their own retention policies in place. For instance, if a company typically deletes e-mail every 90 days, it will be unable to enforce that on e-mails created in Facemail.

Keeping data forever is just not an option for companies. The legal risk is too overwhelming.

Now, companies that already have policies in place for handling outside e-mail and chat providers will have to ask their inhouse counsel to develop new policies that categorize Facebook with the rest of those services.

E-mail is still a useful service – and contrary to what Zuckerberg believes, it’s not going away just yet.

Can you picture a leading company exec sending a top secret inner-office memo to a colleague through Facemail?

Sorry Zuckerberg, but we’re not quite there yet.

 Tags: business users, enterprise email, facebook, facemail, mark zuckerberg, messaging service, traditional email

Google Gets Us Even MORE Productive

November 23rd, 2010 by Erin Posted in Business, Technology | No Comments »

I’m a staunch supporter of all things Google – well almost all (remember Buzz?)

I use Google’s search engine. I use its browser, Chrome. I use its voice service… and sometimes, even chat. But, lately, what’s really come in handy is Docs.

I know Google Docs has been around a while, but sadly I’ve only just discovered how useful and convenient it really is. I rely on it primarily because I work from a MacBook and most of my colleagues work from MS Office on their pc’s. Docs lets me convert my work into any type of file… allowing seamless document circulation between parties. Docs also enables me to share my work with other people by granting them email access. All they have to do is log in.

I know. I know. This is nothing new to a lot of people. But what IS new is a just introduced Google Docs beta feature called Google Cloud Connect for Microsoft Office.

Basically, Google Cloud Connect is an add-on for Office that syncs documents, spreadsheets and presentations from Office 2003, 2007 and 2010 with the cloud. In other words, it takes data on the desktop and makes a backup copy in Google Docs, gives it a unique URL and constantly syncs the data with anybody else that might be sharing the same document.

The technology behind Google Cloud Connect derives from DocVerse, a productivity tool that Google acquired earlier this year that lets multiple users collaborate and edit Microsoft Office documents.

What’s fantastic is that a business team can edit a document from either Microsoft Office or Google Docs simultaneously – and Docs will save all of the revisions, so if someone messes up someone else’s edits, it’s easy to revert them.

This new launch is all about getting Office users – like my old self – to ditch the software permanently and switch to Google Docs and the cloud. Admittedly, I had resisted the change… but once I went cloud, I knew I was never going back.

Microsoft’s productivity suite had its time in the sun. Now it’s Google’s turn to shine – and it’s oh so bright.

 Tags: business collaboration, google cloud connect for microsoft office, google docs, office documents

The Future of Tech: Internet Censorship?

November 18th, 2010 by Erin Posted in Technology | No Comments »

Amid the post mid-term election fury, let’s talk about democracy and the right to free speech and due process. The very people who’ve we put in office now want to take it all away from us with a little-known bill called – Combating Online Infringement and Counterfeits Act (COICA).

Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT), who’s just been re-elected Judiciary Chair and is the LEAD SPONSOR of the bill, plans to push COICA through the lame duck session which started this week.

Here’s the lowdown.

Under COICA, the government could force Internet service providers to block access to sites like YouTube, Wikileaks, and others that the government claims are spurring the spread of copyrighted materials.  The Electronic Frontier Foundation lists some other vulnerable sites as well. In blocking these sites, the government would be violating the First Amendment and reasonable due process, and setting a terrible precedent that totalitarian regimes across the globe would use to justify their own crackdowns on Internet freedom.

What’s troubling is this bill has some big backers, like the Chamber of Commerce, NBC Universal, Disney, and Time Warner – to name a few. And, they’ve sent a multi-industry letter to Sen. Leahy stating their support of COICA.

The ACLU, Human Rights Watch, Reporters Without Borders, and other human rights organizations have issued a letter of their own, underscoring that this legislation puts us in the company of China, Iran, and Turkey – all of which regularly censor access to online content.

The future of tech does not mean we give corporatists and big business power over the Internet. It means we keep the Internet open!

Time to wake up Leahy! Stand up for this country. Don’t make us stoop to the likes of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Hu Jintao!

Sign the petition to stop the Internet Blacklist. Or, read up on COICA and decide for yourself.

The first vote on this bill is scheduled for today!

 Tags: big business, coica, internet blacklist, internet censorship, internet freedom, patrick leahy

What’s a Facebook Business Page Worth to Consumers?

November 4th, 2010 by Erin Posted in Business, Small Business | No Comments »

I have a friend who on Facebook recently has becoming a fan of every product under the sun – Renuzit, Ronzoni, Ziplock, Folgers, ect.

I’ve been seeing these products she is a fan of – because each and every one gets prominently displayed in my home feed –  and I think… really? This woman is really telling all of her friends which air freshener product she likes? Who flippin’ cares?

I certainly don’t. In fact, I think it’s annoying.

Coincidentally a new study was just released last week that addresses this very topic: Why consumers fan Facebook pages.

The report, conducted by ExactTarget and CoTweet, found that discounts and “social badging” were the primary reasons consumers “like” brands on Facebook.

Nearly 40% of Facebook users who become fans do so to receive discounts and promotions and 39% become fans to show their support for a brand to their friends.

Some other interesting findings from the study include:

- 43% of the Facebook users surveyed said they “like”, or are fans of, at least one brand on Facebook.

- 34% of Facebook users say they “like” brands in order to stay informed about company activities or to get updates on future products.

- 17% say they’re more likely to buy after liking that brand on Facebook.

Sure, Facebook is a dynamic way for brands to mobilize their fans and get introduced to even more fans – but what are those business Fan Pages really worth to consumers besides a social badge?

The answer: Absolutely nothing, unless something is in it for them.

Turns out my friend who was liking all of those products only did it for the coupon incentives the companies sent her after she became a fan of their pages. But, the brands’ marketing plans backfired, in my opinion. Sure, they got my friend’s “like” of approval – but her friends are now giving these products a BIG DISLIKE because of the sheer annoyance of seeing them on their main Facebook feeds.

This whole incentive stuff is for the birds. I say brands should stay organic. Let people come to them because they truly like their services or products. If they don’t – and continue to offer these stupid discounts – they’ll end up shooting themselves in the proverbial left foot, because you know why?

All of those fans who were lured in aren’t going to stick around. They’re not loyal. They are fair feather – just like my friend. She has “un-liked” every one of those products.

 Tags: brands on facebook, facebook business pages, facebook pages, fan pages, social badging, social media

HP Tablet Means Business – Or Does it?

October 27th, 2010 by Erin Posted in Technology | No Comments »

There’s no doubt about it. The Apple iPad is still a hot ticket and is expected to remain so through the holiday season. But tech watchers also have their eyes on another tablet – one that claims to be less about consumption, and more about business.

Windows Slate 500.

The so-called business tablet went on sale recently with little fanfare.

Why?

At first glance a Windows-based tablet just seems like a crummy idea. But, the Slate claims to fill the role of what the iPad and other consumer-based tablets lack – and that is mobile business.

The HP tablet has front and rear-facing cameras. It has a USB port and an SD memory card slot, not to mention a 32-bit Windows 7 Professional operating system.

With the Slate, HP also has its sights set on specific industry segments such as retail, insurance, hospitality, healthcare, and education. Based on its research, HP believes there is a need for a portable, tablet device complete with customized Windows-based software in these industries.

That is all well and good… but will there ever be a real need for a business-based tablet in the broader sense? And, furthermore, is there really a big distinction between the Slate and a tablet like the iPad?

No really.

While the Slate’s suped up features standout now, it’ll only be a matter of time before the other tablets follow suit. Cameras, USB ports, and memory card slots are all expected to show up in the next version of the iPad in 2011.

And, with regard to need, well, Tony Bradley at PCWorld sums it up perfectly. He writes:

Users don’t want a tablet to be a full desktop operating system, or run all of the software, and use all of the peripherals commonly associated with PCs. They have PCs for that. The tablet is a mobile computing device with the emphasis on “mobile” rather than “computing”. The tablet needs to be lightweight, have exceptional battery life, and provide intuitive–preferably one-handed–access to all of the tasks and tools users need.

The quantifiable difference between consumer-based and business-based tablets seems a little muddled. But, I do commend HP for giving it the old college try. Spin it whichever way you want  - marketing is marketing. And, if HP says the Slate is ideal for business – and people buy it – then so be it.

Can’t knock ‘em for trying.

 Tags: apple ipad, business table, hp tablet, mobile business, windows slate 500