Email is being revamped into a social media platform thanks to new applications. Without the new email apps the old-school communication channel provides limited interaction, unlike the communities and services provided by social media platforms.
Rapportive, WiseStamp, and Greplin are a few of the applications now available to make your inbox into your own customizable social media dashboard. The apps work differently, but link to popular sites such as Twitter, Facebook, Digg and your RSS feeds.
The launch of Google’s experimental Priority Inbox ushered in the new channel for marketers and social media networks. Google’s new service automatically sorts the important emails from the spam, meaning the search engine giant has access to your information.
Email is only now emerging as a platform because of the security concerns. Developers need access to the contents of your email, without having access to sensitive information. In the case of Google giving access to third-party developers, that’s where the Open Authentication Standard (also called OAuth) comes in. OAuth enables application developers to request secure access from you email provider. The access is temporary and your password is never exposed.
For online marketers, the inbox upgrades provide a bigger stage for email marketing. This new development in social media will enable promoting content, products, and services via email applications. Will email as a social media platform survive, or will security concerns pull the plug early?
Written by Ana A.