Alex Iskold has an insightful article on ReadWriteWeb asking “Is Email in Danger?”. I love the way he breaks down why email may be facing competition. Overall, it’s a must read if you’re a heavy email, Twitter, or forum user.

Alex goes on to ask the following: “What do you think about the future of email? How have your communication patterns been evolving? What communication tools do you prefer to email?”

Email is and will probably be safe for at the very least another decade or so. All the tools that we use, especially Twitter, are early adopter tools. Early adopters are more adept at using other forms of communication than the rest of the world including enterprises.

• Instant messaging is most popular amongst teens and early adopters.
• Forums are also popular amongst teens and people who have an interest in specific niches like gamers
• Blogs are catching on, but still mainly limited to early adopters and teens
• Twitter…..that’s all about early adopters
          

Email Is Still My Most Used Tool For Communicating

Email is still a main form of communication everywhere. It’s how my family gets in touch with me because they don’t know how to install let alone operate instant messaging programs. They have no clue what a forum is and don’t have time for blogs.

While my communication patterns now include the use of instant messaging and Twitter now more than ever, for business and even for more personal things, email is where the majority of my activity resides (surprisingly). I prefer Twitter or even a phone call to email just because it has the appearance of being more instantaneous. However, for heavier things and things that I’ll need to remember later on, “email me” is what I’ll tell all my contacts to do.

When I need something sent as an attachment, email is where I turn. There are certain things that these other forms of communication cannot fulfill. Email will always have its uses. It’s convenient. Everyone knows how to use it and there are a million ways to manage it. So is email safe? Yes, and I don’t think other forms of communication will ever be a true competitor to email.