Is email the next snail mail? Not if Microsoft and Google can help it.

In my previous blog post, I discussed a new social networking site called Jibe, which combines Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter as a means for professional networking while job searching. As more social networking sites are created, email has become less central to many people’s daily lives, and according to Computer World, Microsoft and Google are trying to come up with ways to combat this potential problem.

Social networking sites are important for any business’ content marketing strategy, as they can help build buzz and your brand, to attract both new customers and potential venture funding. Networking sites can also be valuable collaboration tools, allowing employees to share their work both internally with one another, as well as with those outside of the company. It is becoming increasingly important for companies to utilize social networking sties for business purposes, particularly early stage and expansion stage startups who are still building on their customer base. Microsoft and Google understand its importance as well, and are trying to make email the hub for all electronic communications, by merging their email services with social networking sites so that users do not have to leave their service to have access to sites such as LinkedIn and Facebook.

 

Microsoft recently released the beta of Outlook Social Connector, which will link Outlook 2010 to social networking sites. Google has released Google Buzz, which is integrated with Gmail, and has similar features to Facebook’s Wall and to Twitter. There are certain to be additional advances to both Microsoft and Google’s social networking integration platforms, as well, as these sites are becoming increasingly important to stay competitive.