There has been much debate over whether whether social networks will eventually make email - and by extension, email marketing - obsolete. Both sides have statistic and anecdotal evidence to illustrate their points.

Social media may seem to be the dark horse in this race, despite its popularity - it is, after all, a new medium and not all companies have grasped its potential unlike email. However there are some reasons for companies to root for its acceptance as a dominant form of corporate communications.

Consider:

You don't have to worry about opt-in. Stowe Boyd tells of a 'Microsharing' panel at the Enterprise 2.0 conference he recently attended. His post recasts the debate somewhat to streams versus email, with stream defined as the implementation of a social model of interaction, relationship, and communication.

In short, he said, email is addressed, stream posts are released - and based on the premise that individuals might be more effective if they can elect to receive information flows that are potentially useful to them. "Looking at this as a 'wisdom of the crowds' sort of issue, it is more likely that information will be best distributed within any given group if each person can decide what information sources are likely to provide good information for themself, rather than leaving it up to the sources of information to decide who should have access to it."

Social networks are easier to penetrate and the numbers are on your side. Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg as well says the transition from email to social media will be good for business - even as she says she can’t imagine life without email. Speaking at Nielsen's Consumer 360 conference, she noted that while it's very difficult to gain access to a consumer's email address, connecting with them via social networks is quite simple. (via Fast Company)

Also, with Facebook's 500 million users, brands can connect with more customers than ever before - and that connection will be more valued by consumers. Sandberg cited a study that showed that people who receive product recommendations from their friends are 400% more likely to buy that product.

Social networkers are, well, more social. A study by ExactTarget might give some comfort to the email proponents - it found that 58% of respondents in a recent survey say they check their e-mail first, while 20% go first to a search engine or portal site and 11% start with Facebook. But how these people relate to online companies - and each other - is what is telling.

In general consumers who check email first tend to be more task-oriented, subscribe to more emails and interact with brands across email and social media to obtain deals, promotions or new product information. By contrast, people who initially check Facebook, who tend to draw firmer, more segregated boundaries and become fans of brands for entertainment purposes or to show support for a company or product.

But users with a preference for Facebook also had different attitudes about why they might share contact with people they knew. Asked whether sharing information showed they cared about the recipient, Facebook firsters were 9 percentage points more likely to say yes (29%) and e-mail-firsters more apt to disagree (34%).