Why Email is Good

It's fashionable to complain about email. I think we need more genuine dialogue, including face-to-face conversations. All communication, to be effective, takes training -- and we are ever learning.

David Maister makes some excellent points about why email is good:

"[E]ven though it's traditional to bemoan the increasing use of email, let me (just for the heck of it) take the other side and try to make the case (my points are serious here) why using email is INCREASING our abilities to connect:

a) You can type, re-type and re-re-type an email until it says what you want, the way you want it. Done right, there are none of the ambiguities of human speech ( "What I meant to say was..") Email can promote clarity

b) You can ask a friend or a spouse or anyone else to help you say it right. Try doing THAT in the real world. Email can promote collaboration and friendship

c) You can keep five or six (or more) conversations going at once without anyone feeling slighted that you do not have all your focus on them alone. Email means you can make everyone feel special.

d) You can keep track of what people said and hold them to their promises. Email can promote honesty.

e) Email removes the visual, body-language, verbal-accent cues that we over-rely on when reacting to other people: email can promote the importance of reason and logic, and reduces bias due to gender, racial or national background or appearance. It is profoundly democratic and politically important.

f) Email allows us to think before we react, thereby promoting less stress, thoughtless comments and knee-jerk reactions. It allows people who are not naturally quick at interpreting other people's remarks to reflect and respond with greater emotional intelligence. Email can facilitate good relationship interactions and language."