Well, it’s finally here. After Facebook announced that they’d have an email solution that’s not email, they’ve rolled it out to the public.

This morning, on my Facebook news feed, I saw the following message regarding Facebook’s new Messages:

The new system combines your messages, texts and chats in one place so you don’t have to try to remember how you communicated with your contacts in order to find what you’re looking for. But it also does one other important thing – something that’s a salvo at Google’s Gmail: users are given the opportunity to get a Facebook email account.

Why would you want a Facebook email? According to Facebook:

There are many benefits:

• It’s free and easy to set up.
• Having your email integrated with your messages, chats and texts makes it easier to check them all at once. And if you’re looking for a message later, you don’t have to worry about how it was sent since all your different types of messages are in one place.
• Your Facebook messages are compatible with traditional email systems (e.g., Hotmail, Yahoo or Gmail). When people send you emails from these external systems, they’re delivered directly to your Facebook Messages. And when you send messages to external email addresses, they’re formatted to look like your messages on Facebook, including your name and profile picture along with your message.
• Owning your @facebook.com address makes it easier for friends and family who are not on Facebook yet to connect with you.
• Your other email addresses may change over time, but your Facebook email never does.

Personally, I”m a committed Gmail user, since my Google account integrates with many other platforms (such as Blogger, which this blog is written on), among others. I don’t know if I’ll give this a try or not.

But a little bit behind what’s driving Facebook’s decision to expand in this area. The New York Times discusses the decline of email in Gen Y, citing that the younger generation simply doesn’t use email as much as they use IM and texting.

In November, Facebook announced the evolution of its messaging system and in a Fast Company article, Zuckerberg noted his inspiration for deciding on the software that would shape the communications style of whole generations:

“Whenever I get a chance to talk to high schoolers, I always want to ask them what kind of software they’re using… So I asked them: What do you use for email? [And they answered,] ‘Some of us use Gmail. Some of us use Yahoo. But we don’t really use email.’ And I said, ‘What do you mean you don’t use email? Everyone uses email.’ And they said, ‘No. It’s too slow.’”
Using high schoolers as a focus group for the future of a multi-billion dollar company? While I understand that they’re on the cutting edge of what’s next and that they’ll be the users of the future, my traditional self cringes a little about the notion of basing your success on the tastes and proclivities of such a young generation. Particularly when they have yet to fully grasp the habit of good writing, functional grammar, and the ability to fully express their thoughts.

My concern arises from this kicker from the Fast Company article:

The teens told Zuckerberg it was too much trouble to think of a subject and to compose a formal message.

Facebook has grown tremendously since its creation, but they are not the only social network to be thriving.  Facebook only should the world the power of social networks and there potential.  Just like the internet has many unfilled niches people are starting to think that facebook cannot fill the need for social networks.  There are new nichified social networks being created all the time.  These social networks feel there is an entrepreneurial potential for these markets and that they can make money and exist even with facebook. In 2010 a new social network called Audimated was launched and it is a social network that focuses on that coffeehouse feel and for musicians.  It has been doing well and is a place were people can promote independent music and find good music.  Will this social network squash facebook?  Absolutely not, but it shows an important point that there niches left in the market that can be exploited.  It is the entrepreneur’s job to find them and fill them.  You may not be able to be better than facebook, but you can be different then facebook and being that the web is for the world you can find enough people that will like those differences.

www.socialmediamarketing.com

Thats all you need. End of blog post.

Just kidding. This website has everything you need to help develop a successful marketing and media campaign. As quoted from the site,

“SocialMediaMarketing.com creates and leads powerful social media campaigns that will intelligently rocket your traffic, promote your brand and grow leads and sales with maximize ROI to give you a feeling of power and importance in the marketplace.”

They are quoted to having helped Levi jeans, LG, facebook applications, and more. They talk about how, using facebook, twitter, and feedburner, they can help develop traffic to your website and interest in whatever you want people to be interested in.

Seems like a cool website for people to check out if they are starting a business.

Your reputation is one of the most valuable things that an Entrepreneur has.  It is important that entrepreneurs always be aware of how decision will affect their reputation.  Blogs that people write, comments on facebook, comments of discussion boards, twitter posts.  These can all come back to bite you in the butt.  Before the internet if your said something stupid the damage was minimal.  Probably only a few people would hear it and those people would probably wouldn’t know really be able to hurt you with the information.  Now, however, when people are applying for jobs or loans companies will perform searches on individuals and see what they can find.  People have been turned down for loans or not hired because of the information that was found on the internet.  The opposite can also be true companies can be impressed when they search for someone and only find good things about them.  It is important for Entrepreneurs to constantly be thinking about the information that they are putting on the internet about themselves.  Things on the internet never go away.  They are stored deep in cyber space and it can be found be whoever knows the right words to search.

I watched The Social Network this weekend, and was pleasantly surprised: I really enjoyed the movie.  Among a throng of other messages, the movie inspires one to get off of the couch (which is ironically where we are receiving this inspiration) and into the drawing room.  Mark Zuckerberg does not get broken up with then go back to his dorm and check Facebook.  He goes back to his dorm and makes Facebook (technically Facemash, Facebook came later. You get the idea).

Mark is an incredible programmer and a brilliant individual and takes advantage of his gifts on the internet.  He sees a potential market and develops the perfect product.  What are you good at?  What needs do you see that you and your website can fulfill?  Don’t sit on the couch and admire Sean Parker and Mark Zuckerberg; use your talents through your business, or you’ll be left speechless when a skeptical girl asks what what your latest “preneur” was.