Repeat After Me - There Is No One Perfect Tool

February 13, 2013

I'm tired of people talking about how social software solves everything and call for the end of email.

Let me make my opinion perfectly clear: No one tool is perfect for all scenarios and no tool is effective without the right use-cases and process for using it.

Phones have a purpose. They are good for some things, bad for others.
Email has a purpose. It is good for some things, bad for others.
Forums/Communities have a purpose. They are good for some things, bad for others.
Blogs have a purpose. They are good for some things, bad for others.
Wikis have a purpose. They are good for some things, bad for others.
News Feeds/Activity Streams/Status Updates (social networks) have a purpose. They are good for some things, bad for others.
Instant Messaging/Chat has a purpose. It is good for some things, bad for others.
Web Conferencing/Hangouts have a purpose. They are good for some things, bad for others.
File sharing has a purpose. It is good for some things, bad for others.
Social Bookmarking/Pinboarding has a purpose. It is good for some things, bad for others.
Location based check-ins have a purpose. They are good for some things, bad for others.

The list goes on.

Choose the right tool for the job.