email, SMS, and messaging

Tags: Carriers,  Design
July 31, 2007 by Barbara

There's this odd argument that pundits like Tomi Ahonen assert that texting is the most popular data application on the planet. And they are right.

I think they are wrong about email being for "old folks" and "stodgy American executives." Certainly there's a growing perception that SMS is for conversing with friends, and email is for conversing with elders (I've seen this data repeated in both Japan and Europe). Tomi will tell you all about how SMS is for all ages, so that particular issue may wane.

But do the stodgy American executives have a point? Is Blackberry really on to something?

SMS and email are different media. One is good for short messages, quick response times, time-sensitive communications, information snacking. The other is good for time-insensitive communications (hours/days not minutes), complex thoughts, attachments, good archiving, mailing lists, and so forth.

Even Tomi knows this: his mailing list uses email, not SMS.

160 Characters learned that users expect a response to a text message in 5 minutes, in contrast to up to 24 hours for email. This finding just reinforces the idea that the two messaging types have different purposes, though there is some technical overlap.

Personally I would be quite displeased if my phone buzzed every time I had an incoming communication.??I (a backwards American?) use SMS for coordinating with others, for building social ties, and so forth. It's not perfect.

Other messaging types are also quite good. I'd like to see more of "Voice SMS"; only a few people have access to it, and there isn't cross-carrier interoperability.


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