In business, communications often make the difference between success and failure. Electronic communications are part of the modern arsenal of communication tools, whether the communications takes place by phone, fax or through computer networks.
Communication through computer networks can take to form of electronic mail (E-mail), in which messages are exchanged between correspondents or groups of correspondents. With electronic mail, messages can be as brief or as lengthy as needed. They can easily replace faxes at a fraction of the cost per message. Electronic mail can be printed or filed in electronic form as your needs dictate. And e-mail can be the electronic "evelope" in which other documents, like spread sheets or word processing documents can be placed.
E-mail is not the only way to communicate electronically. Imagine storing e-mail in a file that anyone can read and you have "news groups." There are literally thousands of news groups on the Internet discussing almost any imaginable topic, from computers to gardening, from finance to space exploration. Often the most knowledgeable experts in the world participate in on-line discussions about their areas of expertize, making news groups an extremely valuable resource.
The world's most rapidly growing form of communication is the World Wide Web. These interconnected electronic documents help people and businesses communicate with each other in a variety of ways, offering product information, news about special events and directly selling products. On the web, your corporate message can include text, graphics, and even sound and video. On-line documents can be linked together, forming an immense work, but one that can be grown a page at a time and easily updated.
Other forms of electronic communication are also available. For example, the ability to exchange files of information is not limited to electronic mail. A "File Transfer Protocol" server can make information available to your customers or can allow your customers to send large amounts of information directly to you, any time of the day or night.
This ability to "time shift" communications is one of the most valuable features of electronic communications. Regardless of the time of day in your locale, you can stay in touch with your customers. and they with you.