From email to . . . ?

I have to admit I really don't "get" social networking sites. I understand their purpose, but at this point they still feel like toys rather than tools in my hands.

MediaPost's Online Media Daily has a report from the Email Insider Summit, Habeas: Email Remains Primo Communication Method, that seems to suggest my views are still in the majority, even among younger users. Habeas' research shows that people still prefer email, and will for the foreseeable future, though the reporter mentions one college student who attended the conference would be content to use Facebook solely in his next (first?) job.

They're too intimate. I remember at least one anthropology instructor commenting on research predicting how many "intimates" (close friends and family) one could mentally keep track of, explaining relationships in the classic circles of a Venn diagram. Myspace and Facebook, in their current incarnations, seem to encourage "intimates" circles the size of the Assembly Hall across the street, with only token nods to physical and mental realities.

I have one work contact without an email account, and only a few more intimates offline. I think, for most small businesses (including publishing) email will continue to be a sufficient means of communication indefinately.