There Are Too Many Places To Receive Messages

Can’t we go back to messaging by email or at least messaging in one place?

In the beginning when there was online communications but little Internet connection each online computer service had its own email within its own little community. If you were on The Source and I was a CompuServe member (71310,71) we couldn’t email each other!

I know. That sounds ridiculous today. Over time the web was born, everyone got interconnected and things were better.

Most people who’ve been on the ‘net any length of time have more than one email address. I’m not quite sure why this is nearly universal–but it is. We all have our favorite or most used address. There are always others.

Through GMail I have been able to consolidate all my email accounts so they’re received in one place. Write me at geofffox.com or my work email or any number of URLs I own and I’ll see your message via Gmail.

This was a very good system and I was very happy. But now it’s all changing. Once again we’re heading to numerous discreet messaging systems that don’t see each other.

Every day I have to check for messages on Facebook and replies on Twitter. I also get text messages and BlackBerry Messenger messages on my phone. I even use AOL IM a little. None of these interface (or do so easily) with plain old email.

Too many places to check, It’s just not productive. Wasn’t the goal to connect?

3 thoughts on “There Are Too Many Places To Receive Messages”

  1. Actually Geoff I still get all my mail in one place. Anything that is sent to my facebook page also shows up in my AOL mailbox, often before it shows up on my facebook page! Of course all I have is AOL, facebook, the Orchid Doctor Google Group and a couple of other forums. But they all somehow show up in my AOL mailbox without me having done anything to cause it (as far as I can recall).

    Dennis

  2. Agreed.

    I had twitter going to my email – FB too, but…

    I get too many spams from twitter so I disabled the feature. And, what good is getting FB messages in my email when I have to log in and go to my FB inbox to respond? Both of these services keep rolling out new features, but they seem to ignore this one concept that would make things way more convenient.

  3. How odd that both of us had used The Source and Compuserve. What geeks we are. 🙂 I’m impressed that you remember your Compuserve ID. I do not.

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