| This revolution has been mostly a silent one - snail | | | | any point in the world. Not only that, you can |
| mail has been overtaken in the last decade by its | | | | send mail and manage your mailboxes regardless |
| electronic counterpart - the ubiquitous email. The | | | | of your distance from your home or office. |
| use of electronic mail for communication, both | | | | Added features - The facility to maintain address |
| business and personal, has received widespread | | | | books and to have chatting capabilities integrated |
| acceptance globally, probably due to the easy | | | | with your mailbox is a definite plus as far as email |
| accessibility. Anyone with access to the Internet | | | | users are concerned and is a great advantage |
| can have an email account and the service comes | | | | over snail mail. |
| free of charge most of the time. Email initially was | | | | Cost - Email is very cost effective. Whether you |
| used for personal communication alone, and the | | | | are simply sending mail across the city or the |
| factors that made it so popular for this use slowly | | | | globe, the marginal costs of email are virtually |
| gave it acceptance in business communication too. | | | | zero. At the same time, the costs of snail mail |
| This is not to say that email has entirely replaced | | | | continue to rise. |
| traditional mail - the nature of goods handled by | | | | Speed - Even express delivery services in snail |
| snail mail precludes that possibility. While written | | | | mail cannot match the speed with which an |
| communication, media files and data files can be | | | | electronic mail can travel; speed wise, email |
| conveyed easily to the recipient through electronic | | | | cannot be beat. |
| means, goods such as CDs, consumer goods and | | | | However, the speed with which email can travel |
| products such as medicines are commonly sent | | | | can be a bad thing - it means that unpleasant |
| through snail mail. Although snail mail may not go | | | | news can get to you that much faster. |
| the same way that illuminated manuscripts did | | | | Accessibility of email can be an issue too, as it |
| with the advent of the printing press, there is no | | | | allows people to track you down and send you |
| gainsaying the fact that the usage has dropped | | | | messages when you do not want them to - if it |
| significantly over the last 10 years. So, what is it | | | | allows your boss to send you work-related email |
| that makes email such an attractive option to | | | | when you are on vacation, it certainly cannot be a |
| people? Let us take a look at some of the | | | | good thing! |
| factors that contribute to this phenomenon: | | | | Snail mail can still deliver goods in ways that email |
| Accessibility - This is certainly one of the most | | | | cannot - so both forms of communication have |
| important reasons behind the ascent of email. | | | | their own space and co-exist as of now - how |
| Unlike snail mail, you can retrieve your mail from | | | | thing will pan out in the future remains to be seen. |