Writing+Web vs. Writing on Paper

This week, we're supposed to take a look at writing on varoius mediums. What I mean when I say mediums is either the new-age era of writing on the web, which includes e-mails, AOL Instant Messanger, and facebook, or the traditional way of communicating by writing on paper. The new technological breakthroughs in communication have almost created a new language in a sense. Also, style has been changed when communicating on the web. I personally feel that sentences are shortened and the true meaning and expression of feelings is not completely represented by the online medium. Conversely, traditional forms of writing communication, like business letters, seem more official now. More value is placed on these forms, as it is understood now that more time and effort have to be devoted to hand-writing a letter. For example, take college atheltics and recruting: recruits are going to value a hand-written letter from a coach a lot more than an e-mail or text message. Knowing that the person put time and effort into it makes a world of difference when selling a school to a perspective recruit. When transferring a written document onto the web, it is crucial to make sure you keep the meaning of the letter the same. Online mediums can be less personal and seem a little cold. Another thing to keep in mind when transferring a document online would have to be errors in translation as well.