Comments on: Just Send Me an Email http://theappslab.com/2009/09/23/just-send-me-an-email/ Driving Innovation Wed, 08 Feb 2012 22:43:00 -0800 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Jake http://theappslab.com/2009/09/23/just-send-me-an-email/comment-page-1/#comment-9450 Jake Fri, 25 Sep 2009 00:48:47 +0000 http://theappslab.com/?p=3476#comment-9450 Good point about data exchange. Obviously, the web has a long way to go before it gets an email like experience across sites; I suppose OpenID handled by the browser at run-time is the closest analog, very similar to email clients.<br><br>The control piece sounds about right too. All the objects are the same and are known entities, so it makes sense. Generally, people are just more comfortable with email than they are with web apps, which means adoption flows better through that approach. Good point about data exchange. Obviously, the web has a long way to go before it gets an email like experience across sites; I suppose OpenID handled by the browser at run-time is the closest analog, very similar to email clients.

The control piece sounds about right too. All the objects are the same and are known entities, so it makes sense. Generally, people are just more comfortable with email than they are with web apps, which means adoption flows better through that approach.

]]> By: Jake http://theappslab.com/2009/09/23/just-send-me-an-email/comment-page-1/#comment-9448 Jake Fri, 25 Sep 2009 00:45:42 +0000 http://theappslab.com/?p=3476#comment-9448 Agreed. I personally don't care for the plugin approach for email clients, e.g. Xoopit, which I got bored with pretty quickly. The plugin approach does extend your development across too many clients, much like web apps only worse.<br><br>I think people would tolerate a plugin if it provides a must-have feature. Liaise is on the path, but they have work to do. <br><br>My design philosophy is to build engines that understand emails, like TripIt, Posterous and old school mail list daemons, to make the email client itself an interface with the system. So, I think we're on the same page. Agreed. I personally don't care for the plugin approach for email clients, e.g. Xoopit, which I got bored with pretty quickly. The plugin approach does extend your development across too many clients, much like web apps only worse.

I think people would tolerate a plugin if it provides a must-have feature. Liaise is on the path, but they have work to do.

My design philosophy is to build engines that understand emails, like TripIt, Posterous and old school mail list daemons, to make the email client itself an interface with the system. So, I think we're on the same page.

]]> By: John E. Bredehoft (Empoprises) http://theappslab.com/2009/09/23/just-send-me-an-email/comment-page-1/#comment-9449 John E. Bredehoft (Empoprises) Thu, 24 Sep 2009 23:59:04 +0000 http://theappslab.com/?p=3476#comment-9449 I've been working on a project today which involves the updating of several documents based upon information from a bunch of people. The updates were provided to me via email, and as I complete the updates, I move them from folder to folder.<br><br>After reading your post, it occurred to me that email provides you control - or at least the illusion of control - over the content. If you're using a web application, you clearly understand that the data is "somewhere else"; perhaps it's just me, but even when the email is stored on an external server, I still feel that I have more control over it than I do a microblog post or whatever.<br><br>Another advantage of email is its near-universal connectivity. If I want to make a verified comment on your blog, I have to log in to Disqus or Facebook or Twitter; a MySpace account does me no good if I want to make a verified comment here. Contrast that with email, which I can use to connect with you whether you're at <a href="http://oracle.com" rel="nofollow">oracle.com</a> or jippii.fi or bride2b.ru or whatever. 20 years ago, it was very hard to send an email from one service to another, but those days are long since past. I wonder if the ease of data exchange makes a difference regarding use rates for email? I've been working on a project today which involves the updating of several documents based upon information from a bunch of people. The updates were provided to me via email, and as I complete the updates, I move them from folder to folder.

After reading your post, it occurred to me that email provides you control – or at least the illusion of control – over the content. If you're using a web application, you clearly understand that the data is “somewhere else”; perhaps it's just me, but even when the email is stored on an external server, I still feel that I have more control over it than I do a microblog post or whatever.

Another advantage of email is its near-universal connectivity. If I want to make a verified comment on your blog, I have to log in to Disqus or Facebook or Twitter; a MySpace account does me no good if I want to make a verified comment here. Contrast that with email, which I can use to connect with you whether you're at oracle.com or jippii.fi or bride2b.ru or whatever. 20 years ago, it was very hard to send an email from one service to another, but those days are long since past. I wonder if the ease of data exchange makes a difference regarding use rates for email?

]]> By: Mathieu Lemaire http://theappslab.com/2009/09/23/just-send-me-an-email/comment-page-1/#comment-9447 Mathieu Lemaire Thu, 24 Sep 2009 21:24:42 +0000 http://theappslab.com/?p=3476#comment-9447 Nice analysis. Liaise is definitely great and promising. But I do not think their plugin approach is sufficient :<br>- first they will have to face every request of non-outlook users. They say they are planning Gmail, Wave... But look at Xobni : they said they'd support every client (thunderbird, gmail...) but they are still only outlook. And even if one day they support 2/3 mail platforms, they'd still have to keep it up w product evolutions... What a hassle !!<br>- people do like added features provided by plugins, but they do not accept CPU / RAM overload. Here we all installed Xobni and used it for 2/3 weeks, but uninstalled it after... Or look at Chrome : it is atracting FF users mainly because it is lightweight (even if they had to quit some plugins)... And looking at Liaise, I don't think it will be any close to lightweight. :)<br><br>What is important is to support *integration* to the email (talk about the *protocol*), not the email clients... Nice analysis. Liaise is definitely great and promising. But I do not think their plugin approach is sufficient :
- first they will have to face every request of non-outlook users. They say they are planning Gmail, Wave… But look at Xobni : they said they'd support every client (thunderbird, gmail…) but they are still only outlook. And even if one day they support 2/3 mail platforms, they'd still have to keep it up w product evolutions… What a hassle !!
- people do like added features provided by plugins, but they do not accept CPU / RAM overload. Here we all installed Xobni and used it for 2/3 weeks, but uninstalled it after… Or look at Chrome : it is atracting FF users mainly because it is lightweight (even if they had to quit some plugins)… And looking at Liaise, I don't think it will be any close to lightweight. :)

What is important is to support *integration* to the email (talk about the *protocol*), not the email clients…

]]> By: Jake http://theappslab.com/2009/09/23/just-send-me-an-email/comment-page-1/#comment-9444 Jake Thu, 24 Sep 2009 16:48:47 +0000 http://theappslab.com/?p=3476#comment-9444 Good point about data exchange. Obviously, the web has a long way to go before it gets an email like experience across sites; I suppose OpenID handled by the browser at run-time is the closest analog, very similar to email clients.<br><br>The control piece sounds about right too. All the objects are the same and are known entities, so it makes sense. Generally, people are just more comfortable with email than they are with web apps, which means adoption flows better through that approach. Good point about data exchange. Obviously, the web has a long way to go before it gets an email like experience across sites; I suppose OpenID handled by the browser at run-time is the closest analog, very similar to email clients.

The control piece sounds about right too. All the objects are the same and are known entities, so it makes sense. Generally, people are just more comfortable with email than they are with web apps, which means adoption flows better through that approach.

]]> By: Jake http://theappslab.com/2009/09/23/just-send-me-an-email/comment-page-1/#comment-9443 Jake Thu, 24 Sep 2009 16:45:42 +0000 http://theappslab.com/?p=3476#comment-9443 Agreed. I personally don't care for the plugin approach for email clients, e.g. Xoopit, which I got bored with pretty quickly. The plugin approach does extend your development across too many clients, much like web apps only worse.<br><br>I think people would tolerate a plugin if it provides a must-have feature. Liaise is on the path, but they have work to do. <br><br>My design philosophy is to build engines that understand emails, like TripIt, Posterous and old school mail list daemons, to make the email client itself an interface with the system. So, I think we're on the same page. Agreed. I personally don't care for the plugin approach for email clients, e.g. Xoopit, which I got bored with pretty quickly. The plugin approach does extend your development across too many clients, much like web apps only worse.

I think people would tolerate a plugin if it provides a must-have feature. Liaise is on the path, but they have work to do.

My design philosophy is to build engines that understand emails, like TripIt, Posterous and old school mail list daemons, to make the email client itself an interface with the system. So, I think we're on the same page.

]]> By: John E. Bredehoft (Empoprises) http://theappslab.com/2009/09/23/just-send-me-an-email/comment-page-1/#comment-9441 John E. Bredehoft (Empoprises) Thu, 24 Sep 2009 15:59:04 +0000 http://theappslab.com/?p=3476#comment-9441 I've been working on a project today which involves the updating of several documents based upon information from a bunch of people. The updates were provided to me via email, and as I complete the updates, I move them from folder to folder.<br><br>After reading your post, it occurred to me that email provides you control - or at least the illusion of control - over the content. If you're using a web application, you clearly understand that the data is "somewhere else"; perhaps it's just me, but even when the email is stored on an external server, I still feel that I have more control over it than I do a microblog post or whatever.<br><br>Another advantage of email is its near-universal connectivity. If I want to make a verified comment on your blog, I have to log in to Disqus or Facebook or Twitter; a MySpace account does me no good if I want to make a verified comment here. Contrast that with email, which I can use to connect with you whether you're at <a href="http://oracle.com" rel="nofollow">oracle.com</a> or jippii.fi or bride2b.ru or whatever. 20 years ago, it was very hard to send an email from one service to another, but those days are long since past. I wonder if the ease of data exchange makes a difference regarding use rates for email? I've been working on a project today which involves the updating of several documents based upon information from a bunch of people. The updates were provided to me via email, and as I complete the updates, I move them from folder to folder.

After reading your post, it occurred to me that email provides you control – or at least the illusion of control – over the content. If you're using a web application, you clearly understand that the data is “somewhere else”; perhaps it's just me, but even when the email is stored on an external server, I still feel that I have more control over it than I do a microblog post or whatever.

Another advantage of email is its near-universal connectivity. If I want to make a verified comment on your blog, I have to log in to Disqus or Facebook or Twitter; a MySpace account does me no good if I want to make a verified comment here. Contrast that with email, which I can use to connect with you whether you're at oracle.com or jippii.fi or bride2b.ru or whatever. 20 years ago, it was very hard to send an email from one service to another, but those days are long since past. I wonder if the ease of data exchange makes a difference regarding use rates for email?

]]> By: Mathieu Lemaire http://theappslab.com/2009/09/23/just-send-me-an-email/comment-page-1/#comment-9440 Mathieu Lemaire Thu, 24 Sep 2009 13:24:42 +0000 http://theappslab.com/?p=3476#comment-9440 Nice analysis. Liaise is definitely great and promising. But I do not think their plugin approach is sufficient :<br>- first they will have to face every request of non-outlook users. They say they are planning Gmail, Wave... But look at Xobni : they said they'd support every client (thunderbird, gmail...) but they are still only outlook. And even if one day they support 2/3 mail platforms, they'd still have to keep it up w product evolutions... What a hassle !!<br>- people do like added features provided by plugins, but they do not accept CPU / RAM overload. Here we all installed Xobni and used it for 2/3 weeks, but uninstalled it after... Or look at Chrome : it is atracting FF users mainly because it is lightweight (even if they had to quit some plugins)... And looking at Liaise, I don't think it will be any close to lightweight. :)<br><br>What is important is to support *integration* to the email (talk about the *protocol*), not the email clients... Nice analysis. Liaise is definitely great and promising. But I do not think their plugin approach is sufficient :
- first they will have to face every request of non-outlook users. They say they are planning Gmail, Wave… But look at Xobni : they said they'd support every client (thunderbird, gmail…) but they are still only outlook. And even if one day they support 2/3 mail platforms, they'd still have to keep it up w product evolutions… What a hassle !!
- people do like added features provided by plugins, but they do not accept CPU / RAM overload. Here we all installed Xobni and used it for 2/3 weeks, but uninstalled it after… Or look at Chrome : it is atracting FF users mainly because it is lightweight (even if they had to quit some plugins)… And looking at Liaise, I don't think it will be any close to lightweight. :)

What is important is to support *integration* to the email (talk about the *protocol*), not the email clients…

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