Good question. TalkFest is about open, public conversation, while email is targeted.<p>I see a lot of people ask questions on Twitter, but how can you fit a decent answer, or a decent question, in 140 characters? TalkFest is an experiment to see if there's a room for longer conversations in between the short-form that is happening on Facebook and Twitter.<p>Let me know if that helps, I know the advantage is not instantly obvious.