Jamie Schissler of Avenue A|Razorfish asks “Will Facebook, MySpace, and SMS marginalize the role of email in communication between friends, family, and peers?”

This is an interesting question, but for our readers, we have to take a step back and define a few things before we answer it in this online social network article.

What are online social network medias and SMS?

SMS stands for Short Message Service. It is a fancy way of saying cell phone texting.

Online social network medias are sites where people can gather and connect with one another online. Facebook and MySpace are the most common examples, but there are now 100s of social networking sites out there.

What is the value of internet social networking sites and SMS?

The internet, the ever evolving technology that it is, has brought many forms of communication vehicles to the world. E-mail, forums, blogging and video are among them. The value of internet social networking sites is that it brings yet one more kind of communication to internet users, which makes it easier to connect with other users.

Cell phones have also changed the world. 10 years ago, it was nearly unheard of for a person a carry their own personal cell phone. Today, nearly everyone does. SMS allows cell phone users to send short messages to other cell phone users. Information and ideas can be communicated quickly without wasting time on the formalities phones require (like saying “hello” and “goodbye”).

Will online social network medias and SMS marginalize email?

I think the fact that online social network medias and SMS coexist and that the question was asked about both types of communication speaks volumes to answer this question as similar questions were asked about email and phones many years ago. It is a bit ironic that we are being asked now if a phone service will marginalize email. Email did not marginalize the phone, nor will social media and the phone marginalize email.

It is a misconception of social networking and SMS to think that it can replace email, the same as it was a misconception of email to think it could replace the phone. Each kind of communication serves a distinct and varied purpose.

You can think of social networking sites as a party, SMS as a run to the coffee shop and email like a dinner date. Neither one can replace the other, but it is nice that we have these numerous ways to socialize with friends, family and peers.

The value of internet social networking sites is that they can gather together large groups of your social connections in a more relaxed setting. SMS allows you to quickly get to the point, perhaps with small details attached. Email allows for more in-depth discussion and conveyance of additional materials to support the discussion.

Don’t let the misconception of social networking becoming the end of the evolution of the web fool you. I can guarantee that someday I will be asked to write another online social network article about whether social media is being marginalized. There are many, many more innovations in store for us in the coming years. We are not pushing out any one form of communication over another. We are simply expanding the number of ways we can communicate.