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by bitcuration 3845 days ago
Pretty good endeavor that you essentially created a BPM application, that is only as if email used as a BPM platform which is seen prevailing in corporate than other enterprise tools (SAP, Oracle etc.)

I actually propose instead of re-inventing email, create addons to extend what email message can be used/read/interacted with. For example, high school teaching today has been reliant on gmail for offline homework assignment and discuss between teacher and kids. There are some tools in that space aggressively exploited by schools to conduct their "innovative" teaching efforts.

Gmail, or microsoft outlook would be the best go-to destination for the majority of who can afford an in-house IT team, or shadow IT in large enterprise who's tired of the lack of evolution from SAP, IBM etc.

Still, Gmail and outlook are slow in adopting or providing email as an open extendable platform for BPM application purpose.

Then there are everyday use of email other than BPM, notification, online purchase receipt, offline discussion, even transmitting files, photo etc. via email are somewhat common with email client.

The longevity of email is exactly the lack of rigor of the intended use of it, BPM or not, email is flexible to conduct any discussion to an open goal, or without a goal.

To understand email better, one has to compare email to SMS, and social media along with how mass used these tools.
1 comments
tmail21 3845 days ago
Thanks for your insights bitcuration. I agree that email is flexible enough to do things like goal oriented discussions, but it is just so painful. The best one can do is fling attachments around and hope to get all the versioning right and avoid inadvertent branching.

TMail21 does other email-like things like transmitting files, notifications, full search etc.

It also does interesting things like giving every thread a unique tracking number, which allows it to be tied into the broader enterprise ecosystem. The idea is that just like the URL transformed the Internet (i.e. the web), Tracking numbers can transform 'email'. Now, TMails can be referred to from Chat, Voice, IM, Apps, Spreadsheets etc.

Another thing we do that is very hard to do in email is things like Certified Mail, Certified Forwards, Transactional Guarantees, Certified Diffs, Non-repudiable audit trails etc.

All of these capabilities are however means to an end to make TMail21 the first true BPM tool for regular business users (rather than for coders and 'process analysts)

link