The Future of E-mail SockMail is targeted towards a growing market. E-mail is undoubtedly the most popular application on the Internet. As much as the graphical WWW, it has fueled the astronomical growth of the Internet. E-mail is cutting down the amount of time we spend on the telephone, and may eventually force the handwritten letter to take its place in history next to the carrier pigeon and telegram. Like any other form of communication, though, e-mail requires courtesy and common sense.
Nothing is as impersonal as a form letter, except possibly a form e-mail.
This lesson applies to SockMail. A potential risk is involved when increasing the amount of e-mail we receive and send. Communication loses its value when it doesn't understand its audience. SockMail allows individuals to easily sign up for mailings they're interested in and drop mailings they don't want. In this way, control over information is as much in the hands of consumers as producers.