To the editor:
In the last decade, writing and sending letters through the U.S. Postal Service has become almost a thing of the past.
I still prefer to write letters by hand when mailing something to friends, but there are times when I use e-mail to expedite my messages.
While I may be unable to write as proficiently as, say, a speechwriter, I do believe I can write a few precisely worded paragraphs when communicating with others. I have a bachelor's degree in English literature from the University of Missouri and a master's degree in journalism from the University of Nebraska.
About a week ago, I sent an e-mail to a business here in Missouri.
I carefully worded a question for the customer-service representative and received an immediate response.
The problem was, though, the representative failed to answer the one question I had asked her.
While she was prompt in her response, she neglected the point of the e-mail.
The result?
I had to write back to her and readdress the question.
Once she read the e-mail again, she realized she had failed to answer my question. And while the e-mail was supposed to expedite our messages, it did nothing but slow us down.
Misinterpreted e-mail like the one mentioned above is common.
If we communicators want to use e-mail, we can remedy misinterpretation by slowing down and carefully reading our e-mail before responding.
STEVEN BENDER
Cape Girardeau
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