SUBSCRIBERS RULE!

Email Flashback to 1997!

I am admittedly fascinated by all that is going on in the realm of social media these days. While not the most devoted Tweeter nor am I addicted to updating my Facebook status, I do check in every day to see what is going on, who’s saying what, etc.

Yesterday, amidst tweeting, emailing, texting, blogging, and cell phone calling it occured to me that I was only using one of these technologies 10 years ago–”e-mail” (thankfully the spelling has evolved in the past 10 years too). So I started digging around and stumbled on some old footage of a computer show from 1997 all about eee–mail and how to use it. I pulled out a short clip and posted it to YouTube today. Enjoy the walk down memory lane and see if you pick up on the same nostalgia I did. My list is below.

Thinks that take me back to 1997:

1. “Explain the concept… so you mean this is really an email account inside a website?”
2. “How do I actually DO web-based email?”
3. 640 x 480 screen resolution
4. Email in the example inbox with the subject line: “FW: VIRUS ALERT!!!!!” (You gotta look close to see this… just trust me, its there)
5. The next email on the list that says, “NEVERMIND….. VIRUS IS A HOAX!” (hehe)
6. “…and the picture actually shows up in my email box!” (OMG!!!! I remember that!!! Pictures used to show up!)
7. “CompuServe” (nuff said)

There are plenty more observations to be made, I’m sure. As we speculate on the future of email, it’s fun to look back and see how far we have come, how we have regressed, and how much still needs to evolve. I’d love to hear if you pick up on anything else.

This entry was posted on Friday, January 16th, 2009 at 6:11 pm and is filed under Future of Email, Interviews, Subscribers Rule!, email marketing. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

4 Responses to “Email Flashback to 1997!”

1. Andrew Kordek Says:
   

   Morgan,

   1997 or even earlier flashback. I was still in sales and in mortgage banking at the time. I remember my Dad explaining to me what email is. He said to me, when I click this button I send this thing called and email and it goes around the world on this thing called a superhighway. Then it lands in a thing called an inbox where someone reads it.

   I then asked him “So wait, what if I wanted to send this email to everyone in the world?”

   Maybe coincidence, but I was an email marketer waiting to happen with that comment.

   January 19th, 2009 at 12:00 pm

2. Noch einer Erinnerung: HoTMaiL in 1997 :-) « Email Marketing Tipps Says:
   

   [...] 20, 2009 · Keine Kommentare Holy Strohsack - was die Leute so alles bei Youtube rauskramen… Für Nostalgiker und gleichsam solche, die sich am “Fortschritt” erfreuen [...]

   January 19th, 2009 at 7:33 pm

3. Stephanie Miller Says:
   

   Thanks, Morgan. Love it. I worked at Hotmail back in 1997-98 (pre MSFT) and we got about a 50% “take rate” on the concept. We would explain it like this, “You have a phone number at home and one at the office, right? So this is like having a personal email address, and an office email address.” And half the time, people would understand what we meant. It was a great time to be in business!

   January 20th, 2009 at 9:44 am

4. Joshua Baer Says:
   

   Nice find Morgan!

   January 21st, 2009 at 7:55 pm

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