Re: Re[2]: E-mail: How does it affect our work?

[Worthington <debral -at- FALCON -dot- CC -dot- UKANS -dot- EDU>]

Pam,

Your points are well made.

I do still have my questions about the long-term effects on our
interpersonal skills.

Later...

Jack



On Thu, 21 Sep 1995 powen -at- mail -dot- lmi -dot- org wrote:


>      Jack Worthington says

> >       I feel that E-MAIL has made life a lot more impersonal. This is BAD
> >       for society, BAD for our kids, but nevertheless, FUN to play with.

> >       Go figure!

> I feel just the opposite. I've developed personal relationships online that I
> enjoy very much and have done a much better job of communicating with distant
> family and friends since e-mail became available. I'm not exactly phonephobic,
> but I really don't like the beasts. I hate getting calls from friends who want
> to have deep conversations (which I normally enjoy face to face) when I'm in
 the
> middle of something or just am not in the mood to talk. I always feel terrible
> if I don't respond the way they need me to respond. I feel the same way when I
> need to talk to them and they're, well, just not in the mood. And
 letter-writing
> - forget it. Somehow that always seems more formal, requiring careful thought.
> And since I'm too lazy to write letters often, much more is invested in what I
> say and how I say it. Then there's the stamp and licking issue - too much work
> :~{

> With e-mail, however, I communicate often with my friends, family, and online
> companions. I can write it when I'm in the mood and have the time. It's fast,
 so
> I can write frequently and quickly, not worrying about what my mood is at that
> given second, since my addressees get a lot of my e-mail by which to judge
 each
> missive.

> The more difficult issue for me is exactly what tone to strike with people I
> don't know well but with whom I'm corresponding via e-mail. And those of you
 who
> have mentioned the danger of setting ephemeral thoughts into "stone" via
 e-mail
> definitely have a point.

> So, I guess e-mail, like most technologies, has its good side and its bad
 side.
> And as with other technologies, I guess the best approach is to think
 carefully
> about when e-mail is appropriate to send and about what it should contain.


> Pam Owen
> Nighthawk Communications
> Reston, VA
> Nighthawk1 -at- aol -dot- com, or powen -at- lmi -dot- org