Google doesn't want email to die.
Internet giant is set to revamp Gmail once again; digital marketing analysts predicted the demise of email.
Diego Iraheta_247 - One of the biggest digital marketing events in Europe this year declared the death of email. Several participants of Technology For Marketing & Advertising 2011A study conducted in the first half of the year assessed that email has become obsolete with the expansion of social networks and the viral spread of text messages. Google, however, is going against these predictions and trying to give its email service a new look. Last week, a video leaked online showing more changes to Gmail.
According to images, already removed from the internet by the giant, there will be improvements to email navigation. Users will simply click on messages with the same subject to increase their size – a kind of “zoom”. The screen can become wider or narrower – depending on the user's preference. Chat and folder bars can be changed. Gmail will also have more refined search filters.
The updates began in July of this year. The integration of messaging between Gmail users and GTalk was expanded – with recipients now displayed in the right-hand menu and their chat status shown (whether available, away, offline, etc.). The service also made phone calls easier and changed the layout and display modes of the main screen.
"Don't send an email"
The improvements to the Gmail system are giving email a new lease on life. At Technology For Marketing & Advertising 2011, internet experts predicted its demise. “When an employee says to me, ‘I need to send an email,’ I immediately interrupt: ‘No, don’t send an email,’” said Emma Roffey, Director of Marketing and Business at Cisco Europe, a major technology manufacturer.
The indiscriminate receipt of emails and spam (corrected by filters, such as those in Gmail) is one of the main bottlenecks of this medium. "For younger generations, it's just a tool to stay in touch with grandparents," confirmed Ciarán Harris, CEO of Mindshare in Ireland, a global marketing agency.
Alternatively, people would continue using social media to stay in touch with acquaintances. Among friends, SMS became the primary form of electronic communication. LinkedIn and a corporate messenger would be the ideal tools for professional communication.