Conversate is a new web 2.0 service which creates "online discussion spaces". It claims to be an alternative to group email and less difficult to break into than blogging. So it really falls somewhere between forums, IM and email. It's an interesting idea and it looks like the site is very well put together. But it remains to be seen if this will become yet another "feature as a service" or if it has real substance. From their website:

Conversate lets you create instant online discussion spaces. It's simpler, faster, more polite, and less annoying than group emails.

You and your friends and family need a simple way to talk together, but group emails can get tedious. Conversate gives you an instant discussion space for any article, picture, song, video, website, or pretty much anything. Make social plans. Collaborate on projects. And for your business or organization, Conversate can be an ongoing chat room that doesn't require your constant attention....

With instant discussion spaces, your friends can stay in touch without any of the stress and mess of e-mail. Your friends can follow conversations on the Conversate webpage, or to get the real essence of Conversate, subscribe to an RSS feed that alerts them to new messages. Or if they prefer the old-fashioned way, they can choose to be alerted to new messages on Conversate over e-mail. Mass e-mails are a megaphone. Conversate is an invitation.

At the very least, it's good to see a web service with a fairly sensible name.