i'm going to be the one to say it - get over yourself MG.
twitter was the "end of email". facebook was the "end of email". IM was the "end of email". SMS was email "end of email". Google+ is now the "end of email". no no ... wait wait wait Apple iMessage is now the "end of email".
yet so email lives on and is still the best communication medium we have on the planet that works and is as universally understood as SMS.
good luck writing interesting stories over the next month. or alternatively - be prepared for G+ spam, twitter+ spam and all the rest. you're just offsetting one advanced SPAM medium for ones which aren't as advanced in SPAM filtering [outrageous generalization :) but true]
From what I understand from the article, it seems that he has another problem (information overload from too many people trying to contact him), not so much a problem with e-mail as a medium.
@wladimir - yeah I get that but it gets a bit tiring when every medium is the "next email" and now he's "quiting email" and then he'll "return to email" ... blah blah
"That doesn’t mean I’ll respond to all of these alternative communications either — I suspect they’ll build up quickly too. But at least it will be a nice big barrier to entry that will help to alleviate my inbox overload."
Yes, this isn't an email problem, it's a chaff problem. It's with some irony that I note the comments section has probably the most visual chaff of any I've seen apart from those gamer boards where people compete for biggest stupidly large signature.
and... oh god, there's a second comments section for the facebookers, too. Yeesh. This guy rolls in chaff. It's not email's fault.
Email is the open social network that has managed to work for decades.
Will I ever be able to install and host these alternative social network apps on my server. Can I modify and re-distribute them? There are a few but they are too different (from email) and are big monolithic silos.
Well, there's StatusNet - you can modify, re-distribute and install on your server. The problem is that nobody uses it (relatively to email or Twittter).
I like email. It is not controlled by Some Other Entity, I control my contacts, I only push when I need to, I can back it up, there is no flash munching my battery.
It allows deliberative thought and handles arbitrary file transfer (well, if your service provider isn't a stinker).
This is MG and other tech pundit's job: flame some new random topic when there's a slow news day. Their job revolves around running around with their hair on fire about some new thing Killing something else or other. Everything is in absolutes and has dramatic effect to it. Honestly what they write isn't worth its weight in shit-streaked toilet paper. Tis a shame I forgot to put techcrunch.com back into my /etc/hosts file after I edited it out a little while ago.
If your job is punditry then email probably has a tremendously low signal-to-noise ratio. Honestly I have no idea what kinds of communications happen inside TechCrunch, but I imagine all they really care about is whether MG is cranking out his delicious brand of linkbait on a regular basis. On the flip side, the amount of unsolicited opinion and blowback he gets is probably obscene.
Taking a break from email is probably a good idea, but ultimately he'll have to learn to manage it, because frankly email is a lot better than getting pinged on IM or Twitter DMs a hundred times a day. If I were in that position (and thank god I'm not) I'd switch to a new email address and only give it to people who really really need it.
The only thing to come close to email in usefulness for me has been SMS (not counting the phone itself.) But even the email/SMS duopoly could soon change given the near ubiquitous presence of smartphones.
I'm just waiting for the evolution from "e-mail" to "e-conversation". Just create add protocols to add IM, video, audio, images, and possibly even metadata to allow for non-perfect presumed input (say, transcripts of audio/video, computer devised descriptions of images, all for search purposes).
Of course, I say "just", but sadly I can't see that kind of thing happening, despite my honest belief that it would be a benefit to all (think webmail clients) more than attempts to "become" the platform for the future (Myspace, Facebook, G+) that I think we can all see becoming a boom/bust cycle of "new hotness/old busted" if we're unlucky.
I really wish people would stop linking to obvious linkbait articles on Techcrunch. This one is just 8 pages of screencaps from twitter (because I guess copying and pasting was too hard) after a few paragraphs of the same trite "look at me, I'm so important I can't manage my email inbox!" BS that every person who fancies themselves important eventually comes up with. [0]
I did something similar.. I got rid of my iPhone. I no longer check it constantly, and loathe those who can't go a few minutes while in the company of others without checking or chatting(SO I'm talking to you!!) It's been a great freedom, even when alone, I have my thoughts and a book if I WANT! I actually just borrow a friends web phone if I want to check a web project real quick. I sometimes use an old flip phone I never cancelled if I deem important but I still rarely do so and appreciate the lack of noise. Nothing is more important now then it was 20 years ago, I'll be in touch if something goes down.
20 comments
[ 3.5 ms ] story [ 58.0 ms ] threadtwitter was the "end of email". facebook was the "end of email". IM was the "end of email". SMS was email "end of email". Google+ is now the "end of email". no no ... wait wait wait Apple iMessage is now the "end of email".
yet so email lives on and is still the best communication medium we have on the planet that works and is as universally understood as SMS.
good luck writing interesting stories over the next month. or alternatively - be prepared for G+ spam, twitter+ spam and all the rest. you're just offsetting one advanced SPAM medium for ones which aren't as advanced in SPAM filtering [outrageous generalization :) but true]
Yes, this isn't an email problem, it's a chaff problem. It's with some irony that I note the comments section has probably the most visual chaff of any I've seen apart from those gamer boards where people compete for biggest stupidly large signature.
and... oh god, there's a second comments section for the facebookers, too. Yeesh. This guy rolls in chaff. It's not email's fault.
Will I ever be able to install and host these alternative social network apps on my server. Can I modify and re-distribute them? There are a few but they are too different (from email) and are big monolithic silos.
It allows deliberative thought and handles arbitrary file transfer (well, if your service provider isn't a stinker).
I don't get the email hate in the least.
Taking a break from email is probably a good idea, but ultimately he'll have to learn to manage it, because frankly email is a lot better than getting pinged on IM or Twitter DMs a hundred times a day. If I were in that position (and thank god I'm not) I'd switch to a new email address and only give it to people who really really need it.
I'm just waiting for the evolution from "e-mail" to "e-conversation". Just create add protocols to add IM, video, audio, images, and possibly even metadata to allow for non-perfect presumed input (say, transcripts of audio/video, computer devised descriptions of images, all for search purposes).
Of course, I say "just", but sadly I can't see that kind of thing happening, despite my honest belief that it would be a benefit to all (think webmail clients) more than attempts to "become" the platform for the future (Myspace, Facebook, G+) that I think we can all see becoming a boom/bust cycle of "new hotness/old busted" if we're unlucky.
0: https://secure.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/wiki/Email_bankrup...