I will stand by my thoughts that the iPhone, although cool, still does not have what it takes to be the blackberry killer. It does not have the email functions that all of us look for when searching for a mobile device to get email in a timely manner. The upsides are browsing and “maybe” buying, but the jury is still out there.
I love press releases and new companies so far this week that are touting video email. Like it has been so easy and the magic bullet has been found. This company (release is below) has one of the scariest landing pages I have ever seen. I think that if I had the time, money and skills available to actually solve the dilemma that we all face of video NOT playing in so many email clients (most use a fake video player with a jump out to a landing/player page when it does not work) that they could have spent… say a few thousand on a good looking corporate site with some brand equity. Maybe they tapped out of cash after 500k spent in research.
I came across this new web based system that is all about video emails. Now not sure if this is the email 2.0 app we have all been looking for, but I am going to need to test it out. EyeJot is saying that you can now send video email to people from your own computer. Now I have a Apple that allows me to use the built in web cam to capture and send video when I want… but will it always play in other email clients like an Apple will? No. I know this as I have sent video to people and they are not always able to view it.
We have come a long way over the past several months helping to plan the new convergence conference in Portland set for September 6-7. Steve Gehlen, who has successfully organized the Internet Strategy Fourm (2007 was last week and brought FedEx, Yahoo, Robert Scoble and many many others to town to speak was amazing.
I am soooo done with this “Death of email thing”. Hell News.com emailed me this article, and was fortunate I have yet to take my Outlook out into the woods and put a bullet in it’s head… damn email.
Come on now. Why are all these folks trying to kill off email every other week? This is ridiculous. We have not stopped using email. I also use RSS, blogs, video, mobile, social media, etc, etc etc.
Vernacular is changing, but email is here for a while, so let’s do it right. I have a ton of “kids” that work here and I can tell you that they are still living in email while Twittering, MySpacing, Im’ing, tagging, etc.
Email: Dead to Millennials from CNET News.com
For today’s teenagers, email has been replaced by social networking. Teens and analysts agree that kids think email is more suited to keeping up professional relationships or communicating with adults.
Kids today are more likely to check MySpace or Facebook than email. For many adults, email is what we’re used to–it keeps things simple and professional. But for kids, who grew up with instant messaging, voice-over-IP, text messaging and email, they want to see these services integrated. To a certain extent, each of these can be wrapped up in a social network, along with the ability to add photos, videos and of course, new friends and networks.
The demands of the so-called “Millenial” generation may be a sign of things to come. Social networks are the most potent new rival to e-mail, especially when you consider that tens of millions of members log onto MySpace and Facebook several times a day. It’s even scarier to consider what happens to email if virtual worlds like Gaia Online knock social networks down a rung on the Web communication food chain.
Thanks to The Email Wars for this great article.
Taco Del Mar has a huge opportunity to grab some significant lunch business, but this email is not how you do it. Here is what I see wrong with it:
-No Friendly name, just email address (promos@)
- All of the information above the fold does not tell me what this email is about (subject tells you at least)
- All an image with no link to a web version
- I can’t click on anything except the links in the footer
- There is a coupon in the email, but it does not tell me to print it
- No ability to update my profile/preferences
Do you think that the iPhone is driving the thoughts around this? Most of us in the business world have been using mobile email for years and years with Blackberries and Treos. Text messaging has been the norm in the consumer space, so will devices like the curve and iPhone (which are targeted to the consumer market) help push this over the top?
I think we will see a shift, and yes it will change how people read and react to emails, but it might actually open up some more opportunities when we look at time/day and message.
Mobile Email By Consumers To Take Off, Says Frost & Sullivan by Les Luchter of MediaPost
In a white paper prepared by Frost & Sullivan for open source firm Funambol, mobile email is projected to grow 24% annually for the next four years–fueled by growth over everyday cell phones.
Read the whole story…
Thanks to The Email Wars for this great article.
If you were ALL only an EEC Member, you could be joining a behind the scenes FTC meeting wrap up call this Wed. There is still time….
From Ken Magill: This Time, Marketing Wasn’t in the Crosshairs
Though last week’s Federal Trade Commission spam summit was a relatively sleepy affair, there was one major positive development for marketers: For once, they weren’t under fire.
The agenda and tone of last week’s event compared to a similar one four years ago were evidence of how drastically the relationship between marketers and inbox providers has changed.
Thanks to The Email Wars for this great article.
Sniff Sniff, Weep Weep….
You should read this article just to understand why so many of these scumbags are doing it. Not rocket science to guess it on your own… the Benjamins ($100). I read this and it was interesting, but this guy wanted me to feel bad for him that he was “trapped” in the behavoir. I have an idea, how about you come down to my office, or me to your home (just call) and I will bring an electric cattle prod and a bucket to fill with water for you to stand in.
I bet we can break you pretty fast of this “behavoiral” flaw. Maybe that was the old Army Drill Sergeant coming out in me there.. but that is about as bad as I feel for him.
An update from the Email Insiders on this same Issue can be found here
Thanks to The Email Wars for this great article.
I love it when I get timely emails from brands that I often interact with. Often times if I was to get a survey like this a week or two later, or even one that asked me to take a survey that had nothing to do with what I was neither interested in nor relevant, they are not getting my time.
But when I get follow ups from behavioral or shopping experiences that are not immediate (as that is a little creepy not only to me but to most consumers) I want to help and participate.
Could you drive more community feedback and participation with surveys or even just timely emails based on what a customer did? Even a follow up to an order after it arrives not only brings me into your fold, but gives you timely and valuable consumer thought data to help grow your marketing and email communications.
I want to see more of your hammer this home with your brands and clients.
Thanks to The Email Wars for this great article.