Here’s a riddle: If it looks like a social network, acts like a social network, interacts like a social network – then what is it?

It’s an email.

Consider it: In the past few years, Gmail has managed to incorporate ‘social’ into our email experience, converting the inbox into a powerful interactive tool. And according to Lifehacker’s recent post – Turn Your Email into the Best Social Network You’ll Ever Use – it’s also the most private, leaving account owners with more control than Facebook would ever dare.

But even without Gmail’s advanced features, email has always been inherently social; after all, it’s about communicating with contacts, whether one-on-one or in groups. What’s even more advanced is the fact that email – and especially Gmail – is getting more interactive. Today we are able to actually operate within the inbox, experiencing live, social email as dynamic as a website.

Here are some of the ways Gmail becomes an interactive email experience:

1. In-email previews: Gmail allows you to preview the contents of all kinds of media – documents, spreadsheets, YouTube videos, Picasa and Flickr albums and more. Take a peek on the spot before you decide whether it needs your attention now or later.
2. Events scheduling: Create an event directly within the email in a few simple steps: Click ‘More’ in the drop down, create an event, edit it, and save to the calendar. Alternatively, Gmail displays the option to ‘Add to calendar’ in an email with event information. By the way, in emails listing addresses and package tracking numbers, Gmail shows you relevant links to maps, directions, or the package’s delivery status.
3. Recipient Detector: What started out as a function in Gmail Labs is now a how did we live without it? feature. When composing a message, it suggests additional recipients based on contacts you’ve already chosen. Flipped, it also checks to see if you meant the right one if the name is common in your address book.
4. Chat and calls: Not only can you experience live features inside your Gmail account, but you can also interact live with your friends and family on text chat, video chat, or even computer-to-phone calling.
5. Google+ functionality: Share photos from your email directly to Google+. Read your contacts’ statuses. Add people to Circles. See it here.

It’s clear that Gmail combines social and interactive features, but there are limits. That’s where ActiveMail steps in, enabling all kinds of functionality where Gmail falls short. For instance, aside from YouTube, you can watch embedded videos from Vimeo, Hulu, Imgur and more, directly inside the email. That goes for Picasa albums and Slideshare, as well. Your social networks’ notification emails become socially interactive emails with ActiveMail installed: ‘Like’ and comment directly on friends’ Facebook statuses. Mention new followers in tweets posted directly from the email notification message. And the possibilities are endless, as more and more companies sign up to send interactive email this way.