--- title: "Social Media Roundup: Reboot Your Email, Again" id: "13928" type: "post" slug: "social-media-roundup-reboot-your-email-again" published_at: "2012-10-18T21:40:18+00:00" modified_at: "2026-03-15T18:59:57+00:00" url: "https://associationsnow.com/2012/10/18/social-media-roundup-reboot-your-email-again/" markdown_url: "https://associationsnow.com/2012/10/18/social-media-roundup-reboot-your-email-again.md" excerpt: "AOL — a symbol of the old school — tries a bold approach to email. Also: Maybe you just need to reboot your email approach." taxonomy_category: - "Marketing / Communications" taxonomy_post_tag: - "AssociationsNow" - "Marketing" - "newsletters" - "Social Media" - "Technology" taxonomy_content_format: - "Article" taxonomy_role: - "Director" - "Manager" - "VP" taxonomy_persona: - "Association Professionals" --- [Home](https://associationsnow.com/) » [Articles](https://associationsnow.com/format/article/) » Social Media Roundup: Reboot Your Email, Again Oh, email, we’ll never be rid of you, it seems. The original platform for social media, the one with which nearly every social platform — including Facebook and Twitter — connect to, is still holding strong despite years of claims that it’s going to go the way of the telegraph. > Email hasn’t had a serious rethink really since Gmail came out. And while we’re not going to send you messages in Morse code anytime soon, we may try to breathe new life into email. One of the latest attempts, and more, in today’s Social Media Roundup: ### Email, reinvented > AOL’s Alto Reimagines The Email Experience With A Twitter, Pinterest, Gmail Mashup | Fast Company [http://t.co/gv123iDs (opens in a new tab)](http://t.co/gv123iDs) > > — Janet McNichol (@jmcnichol) [October 18, 2012 (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/jmcnichol/status/259025879542427648?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) **Is email in need of a jump-start?** Depends on who you ask. Some, [such as Hootsuite founder Ryan Holmes (opens in a new tab)](http://www.fastcompany.com/3002170/email-new-pony-express-and-its-time-put-it-down?partner=newsletter) , argue that it’s an antiquated product that we need to move away from. But others aren’t afraid to quit trying. The latest? AOL, which [just gave Fast Company a preview (opens in a new tab)](http://www.fastcompany.com/3001755/aols-alto-reimagines-email-experience-twitter-pinterest-gmail-mashup?partner=newsletter) of its Alto email interface, bakes elements of social networks and analytics directly into the interface. “Email hasn’t had a serious rethink really since Gmail came out,” explained AOL Senior Vice President of Mobile and Mail David Temkin. “We wanted to take a swing at that and not be tethered by the existing 20 million or so people using AOL Mail. The idea was to create without scrutiny and questioning.” Worth the effort? Is email even broken? *(ht*[@jmcnichol (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/jmcnichol/status/259025879542427648) *)* ### Email, reinforced > Don’t overlook the basics to your company’s enewsletter. [http://t.co/tQVxYTv5 (opens in a new tab)](http://t.co/tQVxYTv5) > [#marketing (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/hashtag/marketing?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) > [#newsletter (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/hashtag/newsletter?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) > [#asae (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/hashtag/asae?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) > [#synaxis (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/hashtag/synaxis?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) > > — Martin Davis (@Martin_Synaxis) [October 17, 2012 (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/Martin_Synaxis/status/258380606952587264?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) **Maybe you just need to work on the basics:** Trying to reach people with email despite the claims of the platform’s impending death? Maybe you need to focus on the basics. *Forbes* contributor Kate Kiefer Lee, fortunately, [has the list for you (opens in a new tab)](http://www.forbes.com/sites/katelee/2012/10/15/15-email-marketing-tips-for-small-businesses/) . One suggestion? Focus on making it easy to scan. “Your subscribers are busy people who get a lot of email,” she explains, “so it’s safe to assume you don’t have their undivided attention. Instead of one long block, break up your content into short paragraphs.” Have you redesigned your e-newsletters lately? *(ht*[@Martin_Synaxis (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/Martin_Synaxis/status/258380606952587264) *)* Still heavily focused on using the inbox to reach your customers? Let us know how it’s going in the comments. [Ernie Smith](https://associationsnow.com/author/ernie-smith/) Ernie Smith is a former senior editor for Associations Now. [More articles by this author](https://associationsnow.com/author/ernie-smith/) Tags: [#Marketing](https://associationsnow.com/tag/marketing/) [#newsletters](https://associationsnow.com/tag/newsletters/) [#Social Media](https://associationsnow.com/tag/social-media/) [#Technology](https://associationsnow.com/tag/technology/) **Stay Informed** [Subscribe to our free newsletter](https://associationsnow.com/newsletter/) , *Associations Now Daily News*, to find out what’s happening in the association world every business day. ## You Might Like - [VideoDaily Recap: Day 1 from the 2025 ASAE MMC+Tech ConferenceMay 13, 2025](https://associationsnow.com/2025/05/13/daily-recap-day-1-from-the-2025-asae-mmctech-conference/) - [VideoThe Future is Yours to Create. 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