Trend: The Second Wave of Social Email Is Coming

Will Google+ Change the Face of Social Email?

Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past week, you’re probably well aware of Google+, Google’s initiative to dethrone Facebook as the Web’s premiere social destination.    The socialsphere is buzzing about what changes Google+ will bring and early adopters are offering everything from concert tickets to iTunes’ gift cards for a sneak peak at the new network.  To combat a potential mass exodus to Google+, Facebook has already blocked a Chrome plugin that allows Google+ users to transfer their friends’ information from one network to another.  Watch for major battles between these two behemoths over the next six months as Google tries mainstream Google+. 

Takeaway:  Gmail Will Become An Alternative Social Messaging Platform
What does all this mean to you as a marketer?  It’s still hard to tell from a social media perspective aside from the certainty will have to contend with another incompatible network.   For email marketers however it could be a game changer.  Gold Lasso’s CEO Elie Ashery, has long predicted a true melding of social media with email as social media networks continue to add services and functionality.   This prediction finally saw some light when Facebook introduced it’s unified messaging system.  This was a step in the right direction but a far cry from what the true email experience should be. Facebook has never been, and still isn’t serious about email. However, this will change with Google entering the picture.  Facebook’s early attitude toward email parallels AOL’s in the late 1990’s.  Like Facebook, AOL was a centrally controlled walled garden where it was only possible to message other AOL users.  Once the Internet grew and friends of AOL users adopted other ISPs and portals, the demand to communicate beyond the AOL wall became a central issue.  AOL finally relented and opened its messaging network to send and receive from other providers.  

Since Gmail is Google’s second most used service and has the highest number of registered users, it will become the ultimate weapon in Google+’s growth.  Get ready for much tighter integration between Gmail and Google+ with enhanced social messaging features.  Google’s shift will force Facebook to do an about face with its messaging service allowing email to play a more integrated roll in the social media experience.
 
How To:
Observe your Gmail and Google+ accounts for now.