Without much knowledge, the Business Insider is putting Gmail up against the NEW Facebook messaging:
Here are the categories and their winner.
STORAGE SPACE- Advantage: Google. Dead on. I don't see how they can give it to anyone else.
PRIORITIZATION: - Advantage: Facebook. They give it to FB only because it is based on your Facebook friends. Wow. How wrong could this be? I know TONS of people in different segments. I think that is the beauty of this internet or what is becoming Web 3.0- the personalization that you can take with you. Facebook, MAY or MAY NOT have that advantage for you. If FB is ALL you do, then this is true, but I don't think the majority of Gmail or other email users would agree. WRONG.
SPAM FILTERING- Advantage: Facebook. And here is why:
But Facebook is promising world-class spam filtering, and again, thanks to its deep knowledge about who you have connections to, it should be able to deliver. If anything, Facebook’s filtering might be a little too good, biasing its system in favor of your Facebook friends above all else.
Really, would you consider THAT an advantage? WRONG
ORGANIZATION - Advantage: Google. They claim that Facebook is going to focus your communication by person in long strings. Who want's that? I have enough trouble sorting through the threads/feeds on Twitter and FB as it is. How are you going to be able to follow a MULTITUDE of people and make sense of it with that organization? But for those with limited numbers, this might be a plus. DRAW
PRIVACY- Advantage: Google. They gave it to Gmail under the premise that Facebook is promising to save EVERYTHING from your relationship communications. I see little difference with Gmail. DRAW
APPEARANCE- Advantage: Neither. They claim that Facebook has the smaller type and Gmail isn't anything special. I disagree, you can EASILY customize Gmail and most of Google with some cool themes. WRONG- GMAIL
PRODUCTIVITY INTEGRATION- Advantage: Google. No argument. Facebook is moving towards Microsoft, but really?
CHAT INTEGRATION- Advantage: Google. No argument. With all the integrating with Google Voice and Gtalk, there is few ways you CAN'T communicate with a contact via Gmail.
COOL FACTOR- Advantage: Too Soon to Tell. Seriously? Gmail as they point out overcame the webmail factor and NO ONE blinks at someone having a Gmail address for their main email. People STILL balk at hotmail and yahoo emails (probably not as much), but @Facebook.com? I've heard people down right disparage the notion! WRONG-GMAIL
Their summary:
In our scorecard, Gmail edges out Facebook. But when a new technology departs radically from established paradigms, predicting success can be tricky. Facebook has 500 million users going for it and a willingness to think outside the box. Users may fall in love with some of these new features once they get their hands on them, so who knows? Maybe some years down the road we’ll be waxing nostalgic for messages with subject lines.
Wow. I have NO PROBLEM admitting that I LOVE Gmail, but this seems oddly biased TOWARDS Facebook considering how little we know about the messaging system that MIGHT be coming. Gmail gets tweaks and add-ons all the time so I am sure that Facebook will do the same, but their out of the gate product is going to have to be something miraculous to overcome everyone's use of Gmail or any other email system.
