Electronic mail, more commonly known as email, has become a necessity for a large part of the population young and old.  It is a part of our daily routines.  When we need to communicate quickly with someone, this is often the method we use.  We often think, ‘How would we live without it?’  In our personal lives and our professional lives, this form of communication has become the key to how we communicate with others.  If it becomes unavailable due to technical issues or we are just unable to access it for whatever the reason, we seem to feel completely disconnected from the rest of the world. 
Email can be a tremendous aid in the hectic lives we all seem to be leading.  Information can literally be sent and received in seconds.  By sending and receiving messages electronically, you are inadvertently keeping a log or an audit trail of those conversations.  This can be very helpful in a work situation, as it can be used as documentation of an agreement you have made with a business associate.  Or even in your personal life, when sending birthday invitations, arranging schedules or just connecting with friends.
Being that we have become so dependent on this tool can carry a slightly negative result.  Even though we feel we’re communicating with others by sending an email, there is still nothing like having a face to face conversation.    For example, body language can send an entirely different message than just reading a message from that same person.   It’s very difficult for most people to put the same emotion into their writing as they do into a verbal conversation even if they use the same words.  This can lead to misunderstandings and end up causing delays or other problems.    Therefore, don’t forget to have a face to face conversation when at all possible.  As a means of follow up, you can send a summary of your discussion in an email.  Ensure that you include the correct greeting, depending on your relationship with the receiver of your message.   This will assist in making your message come off less harsh.
There are different types of email available today.  Webmail is a service that is used via an internet browser.  Meaning, if you can access the internet, you should be able to access your email provider.  Some of the providers that use dedicated websites to provide this service include Gmail, Hotmail, Yahoo!, and many others.  Other types of email require a client to be installed on your desktop to access.  The main advantage of this type of service is that you are able to download messages and compose or work on the messages offline, or when you are not connected to the internet.
Whether sending an email for work or personal reasons, read it before you hit send.  Reading a message with typos is just not taken as serious.  Read it aloud to ensure it reads smoothly and conveys the correct message.  Depending on the importance of the message, you may even want someone else to read it before it is sent.  It’s always good to put an additional set of eyes on it to ensure your message is clear.

It can cause additional stress to our already stressful lives. With the use of email, one might think that they are staying connected.  This may be true to some degree, but nothing beats face to face communication.