Emails and IMs

Emails



E-mail is fast. No matter where you're sending your message, whether it's on the other side of town or on the other side of the planet, even the most rambling missive still takes only seconds or, at most, minutes to reach its destination. Nowadays, whenever I send regular mail (or snail mail as e-mail aficionados snidely refer to mail sent through the post office), I shudder to think it's actually going to take days to reach its destination. How primitive!

E-mail is cheap. Outside of your normal online connection charges, Internet e-mail costs precisely nothing (although some commercial e-mail systems do charge a nominal fee after you've sent a certain number of messages or characters). Unlike long distance telephone calls, you pay no more for messages sent to London, Ohio, or London, Ontario, or London, England.

E-mail is practically universal. Not only do millions of people on the Internet use e-mail, but every major e-mail system in the world has built-in electronic "bridges" (called gateways) that allow their users to send messages to and receive messages from the Internet. Yeah, sure, your aunt in Boise may not be wired, but just give the old gal some time.

The cons:


E-mail messages are easily stored. "Hey, wait a minute! I thought that was a pro." Well, it is, but there's a downside to this easy storage. If you say nasty things about your boss or a colleague in a message, a saved copy of your tirade could easily resurface and come back to haunt you sometime in the future. A good rule to follow is to assume your message will be read by the general public and to write accordingly.

E-mail can only handle text. The big advantage that snail mail and couriers have over e-mail is that you can send things like Christmas presents and food. E-mail is a text-only medium, which limits the types of things you can send. Things are getting better, though. Most modern e-mail programs let you "attach" things like graphics, sound files, and other types of documents.


IMs

instant messengers have taken the young people of today by storm 58% (online statstics) use them and more are joining every day, big social networking services like facebook are using this system to incorage more users.

the big advatage is you can use the system any where in the world as long as you have a internet connection. it is instant where ever you location on earth.

Pros and Cons

While instant messaging has become one of the most popular activities on the net for kids, teens and adults some people feel it is an invasion of privacy.
Although instant messaging can be a beneficial way to keep in touch with friends, family and co-workers some feel it is also annoying to always have someone know when you are online.
While the argument is true, most IM programs have feature-rich clients that help you avoid this scenario.
It is particularly important for kids to learn about safety issues with IM and how to protect your privacy.
Continue reading to learn more about instant messaging programs, and how to be safe and protect your privacy.