Has E-mail Made the Thank You Note Obsolete?
In the age of texting, Twittering, e-mailing, and Simul-Tubing, the art of the hand-written message has suffered. Jen Burke Anderson of the San Francisco Chronicle finds herself wondering, is sending handwritten thank you notes passe in the digital age?It's been common practice for a long, long time to send handwritten thank you notes to your wedding guests, to friends who let you crash on their couches, and to potential employers after job interviews. But in a time when most communication is done via electronic means, can you skate by with a quick e-mail? Lisa Mirza Grotts, founder of the etiquette consultancy AML Group, told Anderson that while an e-mail or even a quick phone call could suffice, a handwritten thank-you still reigns supreme. Thanks to our increasingly digital, and impersonal, communications, handwritten notes are potentially more important than ever, she says.
And don't think that just because we're less reliant on pen and paper correspondence that stationery companies are a thing of the past. In fact, many companies that specialize in high-quality paper (or often cotton) products are thriving as people are rediscovering a nostalgic love for the personal touch and tactile feel of paper products.
One company, at least, is attempting to combine the modern convenience of e-mail with the personal touch of handwritten notes. Iomoi's e-stationery collection is similar to the electronic greeting cards we've all come to know and loathe, but are heavily customizable. Customers can choose colors, typefaces, designs, and even make their notes appear handwritten.
You can take personalizing your e-mails even further with YourFonts, which lets you upload images of your handwriting to create a personal font that mimics your own brand of chicken-scratch.
But even we here at Switched know that there are certain occasions best served by paper. And giving thanks is certainly one of them. [From: SFGate]
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