[ChuckMcM]

You are correct in that I was generalizing when I should not have been.

I've used Google Apps for work and since a lot of communication comes through email that means Gmail is open (or at least getting notifications with the talk gadget). I would not be surprised if you were correct that many folks leave Facebook open all the time.

[riffraff]

it's worse than that: among my non technical friends email is used only for "serious stuff" as talking with teachers (or students, for my friends who teach) and for work. For the others facebook messages have supplanted email.

I am obviously not sure this is a global trend, but I keep using the test "who did you receive an email from, recently, who isn't work or a fellow technical person?". Results are somewhat scary.

[wisty]

Yeah, email is now the snail-mail of the mid-2000s.

[ChuckMcM]

Interesting, this means the spammers will have to change venues to reach that part of their demographic. That should be giving them something to think about.