New technology always presents us with some new challenges in personal relationships. Sometimes new technology has the misfortune of reducing the propriety or the kindness of the communication. Telegrams became a very poor form of communication due to the abbreviated nature of the text. This of course was an economic factor as unnecessary words cost extra money. It also created some very bad habits.

Our telephone manners have also suffered over the years in attempting to speed up the conversation or the communication. E-mail is now the newest and the hottest form of instant communication. It really is not mail in the correct sense of the word, as nothing is mailed or delivered between parties. The new electronic communications offer some real pitfalls, such as misunderstanding, interception, incomplete information, and subtle nuances that are not applicable in the electronic medium.

E-mail has become a literal flood in some instances, causing a great deal of difficulty for the postal department, because of the amount of business they are losing. There are other difficulties for those who send and receive the messages. Most people assume the message will be read as it is received. Many people actually get hundreds of messages each day and must choose which they answer immediately and which can want or be discarded.

You have noticed that daily you receive as many as hundreds of letters in your offices. When you start answering them they will take three to four days or sometimes a week following a conventional system of communication i.e; paper reply. As with any business communication, when you do have a legitimate message be brief. If you reply via email, it would automatically be brief. The person receiving this message may not have time to read a long message or may not be interested in the subject.

This goes back to the point of knowing who is going to receive the message. It is a rule of business communication to be certain the person receiving your message is the person to whom you need to speak. In this way yours and the receiver’s time will be saved.

In conventional way of communication you have to reply to all individually by writing different letters, whereas in case of emails you need to add the recipients email ids only and in one click all will receive the mails. When you return an e-mail, don’t reply to every-one the e-mail was sent to unless you absolutely have to. In conventional way, you cannot share every beautiful thought via letters.

However in electronic mails, you can do it. If you forward an e-mail and it has been forwarded to you, you should do some formatting and then move it on. This reformatting is simple to do in most e-mail programs; simply check your spelling and grammar; proofread. If you are writing about a subject that could be misunderstood, let it cool for a period before reading it again. Avoid intentionally inflaming anyone.