pros and cons of online communication

There are alot of pros of communication via the internet. To start, alot of people find that e-mail is alot quicker and easier rather than writing a letter and going through the trouble of envelopes and postage. It is a way of receiving information, sending it, and forwarding it to others. Another perk of online communication is the ever popular "AIM", which enables a person to type whatever they want to another person and get a response almost immediatly. It's a fun and fast way of talking to people in the moment without actually being with them. Chat rooms are also a popular way of talking to people in the moment with the exception that it can be several people at once, which is convenient to many. Blogs are a way of writing your opinions on a matter and getting a response from people with either the same opinion or a totally different one. They are good for several things, especially expressing yourself. Another pro of online communication is the price. Most of these services are completely free, however some may have a small pricetag but it is a good alternative to the old-fashioned way of writing things to people. There are, however, alot of cons to online communications. Alot of people are concerned with issues of privacy. AIM is a place where you can communicate easily, but sometimes it gets out of hand and people you don't want to talk to can end up getting your screen name and finding the information in your profile. Sometimes, with the correct equipment/websites, people can even find your location just from talking to them online without you even telling them. E-mail is infamous for junk mail and among that junk mail could be viruses that could slow down your computer and/or completely ruin it. Chat rooms are fun but are sometimes filled with people who aren't out to do you any good; people who can find out information about you that you don't want them knowing, such as financial status or personal things. Blogs are, in my opinions, the least harmful of the other three ways to communicate, but sometimes you'll get the responses you don't want to hear. Altogether i think that people use the internet as a way of communicating at their own risks.