Will Facebook Unveil New E-Mail Service Today?

NOV. 15, 2010— -- Are you ready for an "@facebook" e-mail address?

If the blogosphere buzz is to be believed, a Facebook e-mail service could be on its on its way soon -- like, today.

The social networking giant is hosting an event today in San Francisco, and many across the Web expect the focus to be a new e-mail program to rival the likes of Google's Gmail, Yahoo Mail and other Web-based e-mail services.

Clue No. 1? The invitation for the event includes Facebook messaging icons, as well as a blue-and-red border that mimicks an airmail envelope.

"The invitation that they sent out definitely hints at messaging," said Adam Ostrow, editor-in-chief of the social media blog (and ABCNews.com partner) Mashable. "It's been rumored for a while."

Industry watchers have been circulating stories all year about a Facebook e-mail service, called Project Titan. Pointing to MySpace Mail, which launched last summer, Ostrow said an e-mail option would bring Facebook in line with its competition.

"I think Facebook is already the No. 1 time sink on the Web, and e-mail is right beneath it," he said. "If you combine those two, you're making Facebook into this portal that is one of those websites people will keep open all day."

Ostrow said it's likely that a new Facebook mail application would provide a Web-based experience with a strong mobile component, allowing users to access e-mail wherever they are. Given the huge number of people who already use Facebook like an address book, he also expects Facebook to incorporate its groups feature and friends lists into a mail service.

Another key advantage Facebook could bring to e-mail is its ability to weed out spam-laden profiles. Presumably, each Facebook e-mail account would be tied to an actual user profile, which means it would be more difficult for junk messages to get through.

"I think there's a lot of potential to make it a spam-free experience," Ostrow said.