Keeping in touch through cyberspace

When I think of my grandmother writing an e-mail, I imagine a pitifully one-sided battle, rife with eye squinting, confusion and a whole lot of cursing, mostly directed at my grandfather. She never did get the whole keyboard concept down. Although, I suppose that’s to be expected from someone born of modest means in 1914.

Certainly to my grandmother’s benefit, I still enjoy writing letters and postcards. It allows me to escape my own personal world for a moment and step inside that of the people I contact. Handwritten notes also provide a more personal message than one can obtain through an e-mail.

I enjoy giving those close to me a little more insight into my life than Times New Roman font on a computer screen can provide. However, letter-writing takes time, and I usually reserve it only for a select group of people close to me. For everybody else, e-mails will have to suffice, at least until we get to know each other better.

Cyberspace makes it impossibly simple to keep in touch. Impossible because despite the simplicity of e-mail, video mail and text messaging, people still rarely keep in touch nowadays.

It’s like they can’t understand the programs and features that allow us to connect half a world away in mere moments. I still forgive them, though, and am happy to hear from friends when they have the time to type.

Call me old-fashioned, but I relish keeping in touch with people. Not only does it give us respite from our hectic lives, but keeping in touch also allows us to strengthen our relationships with those close to us. Knowing others and being part of their lives is a privilege and provides us with a wide array of information, emotion and insight to shape our experiences.

Currently, there are several exciting advances in online communication that have made it easy to contact others in a variety of ways. Skype (www.skype.com) is a system that allows people to make phone-style calls over the Internet. Using an Internet connection and microphone, you can speak live to any Skype user, anywhere in the world, without paying a cent. You can also e-dial people on their land and cell phones for a small charge.

Skype allows for voice-to-voice contact, but it’s simple to take things a step further and talk face-to-face, or more appropriately, screen-to-screen. Common chat programs like AOL and Microsoft messenger have fully functional — and surprisingly simple — video chat functions. Just plug in your Web cam and gab away to your favorite guy, gal or grandma.

Staying in touch with those close to you is an important part of everyday life. And now there is absolutely no excuse not to. If you don’t have time to write or send an e-mail, send a video message. Let’s embrace our newfound capabilities and remember that once in a while, it’s nice to send and receive a little slice of life from those we treasure and those we love.