I was thinking about my Gmail account yesterday and I realized how Google’s webmail program has really changed the way people use email. I graduated from TCU and came back to Phoenix, still having kept in touch with a good amount of people. Most of them went to U of A and during their time there they effectively created a user group with email. One person would send out an email “To:” one person, and “CC:” the other 30 or so. It was understood that if you wanted to be involved in this conversation you must hit “Reply to all” or be faced with friendly ridicule. So, I joined and soon became truly appreciative of the way Gmail combines all messages in a thread, displaying them in a conversation view. Some days there will be over 200 emails exchanged. I wanted to create a proper user group to get those emails out of my inbox, so I tested Google Groups out with a few people and it wasn’t fast enough. There were delays between when posts were made and people received notification emails. This wouldn’t do. I still haven’t found a group service that performs better than Gmail, and that was easy enough for those less tech savvy.
What’s interesting is these quick improper exchanges have changed the way everyone on our “List Serve” uses email. We all forgo the typical greeting and closing, saving time for everyone. Sometimes this leaks into my professional life, which I have also found, is becoming more and more common.
Recently I started receiving emails from a friend. These emails are simple, insightful ruminations about life. I was lucky enough to be included on the “CC:” list, along with about 50 others. Last week someone decided to “reply to all” with a comment, that on the surface, seemed insulting, when really it was an inside joke. Well, this sparked a chain of people “replying to all” in defense of our good friend. Some of those however, you could tell, were not used to the barrage of emails that comes from a group like this, and keep in mind, a lot of people on this Gmail group don’t know each other.
I think this uncovers an opportunity to create a group service that’s completely different than anything out there right now. Something that mimics Gmail, but public with available privacy settings. Something that really lets the conversation flow.
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