As an update on e-mail & communication effectiveness, Brad Bellaver steered to me a post on the Collaboration Loop that cites research reinforcing the selective use of e-mail based on message content.
I was just talking with a colleague about traditional vs. contemporary forms of communication. She told me she’s been trying to get her 18 year old son to practice communication beyond IM – actually writing complete words & sentences (with correct spelling, too!). We joked about this being a generational thing, especially for some of us “Boomers” who prefer more traditional means of communication.
I’m definitely one of those. Emoticons aside, sometimes I really want to hear vocal tone & inflection … to be able to listen to what someone is saying with and through their words.
From a sociological perspective, it’ll be interesting to see what happens as communications technology continues to evolve.