your techno Views

Perhaps one of the greatest improvements brought about by computers and cyberspace is the ability to communicate frequently and easily with friends and family.

In our off-line lives, we are incredibly busy. Work, school, extra-curricular activities, hobbies and social schedules routinely consume our time. We really do mean to make phone calls and visits to our family and we truly do wish to schedule time for coffee with a friend - but, like it or not, there are simply not enough hours in the day, week or month. Gradually, we fall further out of contact and our discomfort with the situation increases to the point where we aren't even sure if we SHOULD get in touch.

Cyberspace has eased the pressures of the off-line world. Thanks to some key web site development that has brought us tools like free blogging software and free on-line photo album services, we are able to expand our personal communication beyond the simple email or instant message.

Email, far and away, earns a medal for improving communication. Having an option that was more instantaneous than postal mail meant people were keeping in touch quicker and more often. Email attachments, themselves, allowed for picture sharing and document sharing that previously might have taken days or weeks to prepare and send off-line.

However, as seems to be the case in cyberspace, people demand ever-increasing and improving technology and tools. Blogging allows for the equivalent of the yearly Christmas letter to be posted on a daily basis now. Many families use blogs to keep everyone in the loop about achievements, occasions and news (good and bad). Family blogs and websites have become online scrapbooks or photo albums where people strive to be creative and interesting, in addition to sending along the news.

Probably the best part about on-line communication is that it can take place at any time of the day or night. This means that, when the family is fast asleep and Mom finally has time for a cup of tea and some quiet relaxation, she can also get on the computer and take care of family communication. Good manners have always dictated that telephone calls don't take place after a respectful time each night but on-line communication will just wait patiently until the receiver is available. This effectively adds time to each day to allow for contact that had been sorely missing.