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From: taylor@hplabsc.UUCP
Newsgroups: mod.comp-soc
Subject: Re: Inquiry concerning misunderstandings arising from computer mail
Message-ID: <1292@hplabsc.HP.COM>
Date: Thu, 12-Feb-87 03:28:56 EST
Article-I.D.: hplabsc.1292
Posted: Thu Feb 12 03:28:56 1987
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>Is there more room for error in e-mail than in written mail?

In principal, probably not much.  In principle, both are exchanges
of words about specific matters, i.e., written communications.  Letter
and memo writers have to learn the arts of letter and memo writing,
the former which is taught in grade school and the latter which is
usually a skill acquired on the job at work.

Not surprisingly, e-mail writing is learned on-the-job too.

The *one* crucial difference between written and emailed writing may
be the immediacy of writing email *on line*  (This doesn't apply
to offline email writers...)  I find that I have a tendency to
write email on line rather quickly, edit it fairly sloppily, and then
I hit CR or "." or whatever the sending signal in my system is, and
its gone, forever carved in silicon chips and on magnetic tape.  The
ease of transmission and the lack of incentive to edit and rewrite
carefully may be the only crucial difference between email and
written mail in terms of skill requirements.

However, my remarks about email DO NOT apply to writing on bulletin
board or computer conferencing systems, which is another matter
entirely (although it has the same "immediacy" problem as email).
Email is one-to-one or one-to-a-select-group; BBS stuff is much
more like broadcasting...

	--Tom Mandel	mandel@well.UUCP	mandel@sri-kl.arpa