Exponents and E-mails

Exponents and E-mails--two important words when it comes to the online world.

Exponents
Most everyone has a cursory understanding of what "going viral" means--not related to epidemiology--and that's the trust power of the internet. The multiplication and expansion of information and junk online is just incredible. It keeps going. If a site like Facebook had charged $1 for a permanent account with them (disregarding the fact that many people would have refused to join if they were charged $1 at the beginning) it would be over half a billion dollars. Ping, which has been developing only recently, would now have over $1 million dollars. From just a dollar a person. The multiplication of resources is possible, but it has to be done in the right way.

Here is an eternal rule of the internet--if it is desirable and easy to access, it can grow. If it is desirable but harder to access (i.e. has a paywall beyond what demand would typically want) then it will become a "boutique" service/product. If it is not desirable and easy to access (i.e. it doesn't work well) then it will die almost regardless.

E-mails
A great article from Mashable about a social media future without e-mail. Luis Suarez reduced his e-mail by utilizing social avenues instead--and every indication is that information sharing is headed this way. Even RSS feeds are submitting to the Social Storm because of the user desire for integration. Essentially, Facebook wins because it was the first to be desirable (i.e. not as creepy as MySpace), Twitter wins because it was the first to be WAY different than Facebook (i.e. it has the potential for 'following'--a one way--rather than Facebook's "Friends"--and even if Facebook moves this way, Twitter will still be around).

These services are unlikely to fall to any competitors in the future because they are so much bigger and user-integrated than start-ups. People identify as Facebook users and/or Twitter users as if they are talking about being a licensed driver or "currently employed". When a service becomes part of your identity like that, it sticks. E-mail could be dying, and it's our desire to connect with others that's holding the knife.