Facebook Messaging: A brand new world

A few days ago, Facebook revamped their messaging product. Before the announcement, I wrote that I was sceptical about whether Facebook's mail feature would be a "game changer" or "Gmail killer". After watching the event, it appears their aim is not to revamp traditional email services, but are instead gunning straight for the top: a full-on communications revolution.It appears that Facebook has realised that email as we know it is slowly becoming irrelevant and that communication is moving away from the static email and more into real-time communication tools like Twitter, Yammer, and a myriad of other real-time services.Notably, Facebook's messaging service won't have typical email features like cc and bcc, as they want to preserve that intimate conversation between two parties, similar to instant messaging. It will feature file upload functionality, and will endeavour to transfer an email conversation to their instant messaging platform if Facebook sees that if you and your friend are online at the same time.Facebook has created a next-generation communication system that has unified the world of email, SMS and IM, so rather than actively seeking to replace email or 'kill Gmail', Facebook is instead showing off what is possible, and putting the "social" back in communication.You might also be wondering what has become of the much-discussed FB.com URL? Unfortunately, that address will not be available for the public, it's only for the use of Facebook employees. Facebook have told press that their new messaging product will roll out to all users over the next few months, so it looks like New Zealand will be scoring the short end of the stick again in another major Facebook feature roll-out.[Image credit: Mashable]