Google trying to combat the "Facebook kids don't use email" problem
Shocking, but true: kids and college students these days don't really use email. I was told my a former intern that she only had three friends email addresses - she wasn't a wall flower, but a very social, attractive, confident college senior, president of her sorority. "How do you get in touch with your friends?" I asked. Her answer: Facebook messenger or SMS.
"Email is mostly for parents and work. Some of my professors expect us to check email every day to get announcements and assignments," she went on. "But if they don't tell us explicitly, we wouldn't check it for days."
If the next generation of adults - the younger millennials - don't use email like those of us in the "you've got mail" generation, then Google must be shaking in it's future-marching boots. Gmail is - and I"m sorry to say it, G+ - Google's best social product. But it's losing relevance for the most meaningful conversations.
Today I got an announcement from Google announcing that they will be displaying your G+ connections as possible email recipients, even if you haven't ever emailed with them before. This makes Gmail behave more like Facebook's messenger, where a social connection equals a potential recipient.
The obvious weakness in this move is that most peoples' Google+ social graphs aren't nearly as robust as their Facebook graphs. How do you think this will play out? Time will tell how this tweak to Google's "terms" plays out in the epic ongoing cold war between Facebook and Google. In the meantime, do you find this new Gmail feature valuable?
Gmail update: Reach more people you know
Ever wanted to email someone you know, but haven't yet exchanged email addresses? Starting this week, when you're composing a new email, Gmail will suggest your Google+ connections as recipients, even if you haven't exchanged email addresses yet.
How it works with email addresses
Emailing Google+ connections works a bit differently to protect the privacy of email addresses. Your email address isn't visible to your Google+ connections until you send them an email, and their email addresses are not visible to you until they respond.
Receiving email from people outside your circles
If you receive an email from someone outside your circles, it will be filtered into the Social category of the inbox (if enabled) and only after you respond or add them to your circles, can they start another conversation with you.
How to control who can contact you
You're in control of whether people can reach you with a new setting in Gmail on the desktop. To learn more, check out the Help Center.