Letters vs. E-mail

Why do I write letters?

I write letters to friends and family because I'm thinking of them and I want them to know that. I write letters because when I think of something I have to say to someone far away, my mind just automatically says, "Write it down!" I write letters because it's somehow soothing to sit, pen in hand, stationery in lap, and put down my thoughts. I write letters because I like traditions. I write letters because generations of humans before me have written letters. I write letters because people like to receive letters.

I write letters to strangers because I have found them through pen pal services/sites and they, like me, hate an empty mailbox. I write letters to them because they will write me back and tell me about life in their locations, giving me a better knowledge of the world. I write letters to them because I can share something of myself with others.

Why do I write e-mails?

I write e-mails because they are quick. I can send out a question and get back an answer in a matter of minutes. I write e-mails because some people don't answer the letters that I send them. I write e-mails because I am sometimes impatient and don't want to wait the 24 hours or several days or weeks for a letter to be delivered, near or far; I want my news to be heard immediately. I write e-mails because it's cheaper than a long-distance phone call.

Why do you write letters? Why do you write e-mails?

Turning snail mail into e-mail

The New York Times had a story last week about the Swiss postal service offering a program that lets citizens subscribe and have their mail scanned and e-mailed to them instead of having it delivered the traditional way.

The Swiss Post is using a business that offers such services worldwide, but, according to the story, this is the first time the company has licensed its technology to a postal service.

This is the way it works, very basically -- instead of being delivered to your home, the outsides of the envelopes that are mailed to you are scanned (by the post office, if you live in Switzerland, or by the company you've hired, if you don't live in Switzerland) and the scans are e-mailed to you. Then, you look at the envelopes and choose from your options: having the mail recycled; shredded; opened and scanned and e-mailed to you; or delivered to you unopened.

I hadn't heard of this service before. Now, I have to wonder...are my letters really being opened and read, or are they being scanned by strangers. My Granny never had to worry about such things!

Anticipation

Letter-writing Quote:

It seems that email has taken away what was the best part of the letter writing process- waiting.
- Edurne Scott, Suite101.com Contributing Writer

What's missing in our lives due to e-mail

Oh, the list is probably much longer and includes such things as letters sealed with a kiss, spritzed with perfume, tied with a ribbon and saved for years, pulled out and re-read while you're curled up in a comfy chair by the fireplace...

But, the thing on my mind today is that what we're missing due to e-mails is the "Dear" in our lives. Very few people start out their e-mails with the salutation of "Dear _____." We're lucky if the e-mail even has our name at the beginning. Most e-mails I get start right off with the message.

From the perspective of the writer, I guess the idea is that if it's addressed to a certain person's e-mail address, then they know it's for them. There's no need for the "Dear."

Except that the "Dear" adds a level of civility to correspondence, electronic or otherwise. According to Meriiam-Webster's online dictionary, one meaning of the word dear is "highly valued - often used in a salutation."

I typically start out an e-mail with "Dear ______," especially if it is a first contact. Depending on the response I get and the replies I need to make, further communications may continue with the more formal "Dear _______" or they may become more casual with only only the recipient's name at the beginning of the e-mail. In the interest of brevity, some quick answers may not have a salutation or name at all, but that is usually after several e-mails have already been exchanged.

Of course, if e-mails don't start out with "Dear _____," they certainly don't end with "Love, _______" or even "Sincerely, __________," but that's another blog post.

Happy Letter Writing!