Why Send Snail Mail If You Can Email?

 

In today’s blog post, I’d like to discuss further about snail mail (refers to personal mail) again after the Envelope letter set series earlier.  Really… why send snail mail if you can email in today’s fast-paced environment?

Note: Other than emails, there are other forms of instant communications such as text messages (sms), Whatsapp, WeChat, Line, Skype, Facebook messages, etc.  But for this article, I’ll just mention emails.

This post may contain affiliate links, which means I may receive a commission, at no extra cost to you, if you make a purchase through a link. Please see my full disclosure.

 

Fast-paced means we have to do things fast enough in almost every area of our life, or we’ll fall behind.  We need to…

• Work fast so that we can climb up the corporate ladder faster
• Reply swiftly to each correspondence we receive, especially emails or other instant messages (you receive fast, and someone also expects you to reply promptly)
• Pick up the call as soon as it rings (it’d be slow if it’s more than 3 rings)
• Catch up rapidly with all the latest news and happenings so that we can have the hottest topics to talk about when we are with others, or else we look outdated
• Run fast to win the marathon
• Read fast so that we can read even more
• Learn how to blog quickly so that more people can find you
• Learn how to use social media to promote your business as quickly as possible so that you can get your message across FAST
• Update new products quick enough so that your e-commerce store always stays new and fresh to entice more visitors and buyers
• Eat fast so that you can have more time to do more quickly…
• Talk fast, type fast, walk fast, FAST, FAST, FASTER!

 

There are more things you have to do at high speed, but I just stop here because I can already feel the stress and tension!

Anyway, you get the idea.

At one point, I simply couldn’t quite take the fast-paced things going on and on.  I’d drive a bit faster but safely (still following the road rules) to reach the destination.  I’d become impatient if I saw a long queue in the post office.  Plus, I expected my smartphone  to respond swiftly if I wanted to change the screen, and I’d feel irritable if it’s a wee bit slow.

Don’t get me wrong.  Doing things fast has its own advantage, too, such as the invention of electronic mail, commonly known as e-mail.  You can send your messages very quickly, and the recipient can get them fast if not right away.

“Please email me this.”

“I’ll email you that file.”

This conversation becomes so common nowadays.  However, one of my relatives insists that no email app on her mobile phone so that she doesn’t have to deal with emails ALL THE TIME.  She’ll only check when she opens her laptop.

I think this is pretty cool and smart.  You don’t have to be bogged down by the endless emails since they are 24/7 whereas snail mail is totally different.

Related Articles:
Snail mail project #4 – DIY garden themed
Snail mail project #8 – Cute smiley faces washi tape
Snail mail project #9 – Travel deco tape envelope and letter

 

 

As I mentioned in this post here, snail mail does take time to prepare and get delivered to the recipient.  Depending on the locations, it could take days, weeks, or even months to reach.

It’s just way too slow if you were to send something important.  Of course, nowadays, you can also have other options like using express courier service but pricey.

 

 

So, why send snail mail if you can email?

Below is a list of pros and cons.

Snail Mail	Email
Pros	Pros
Personal yet not invasive Learn how to write thoughtfully on paper and send to your favorite people Practice your handwriting. You can, of course, type your letter out of a computer but handwritten a letter is much better Check if the snail mail layout and alignment looks okay, unlike typing where the alignments can be pre-set properly Be able to feel and touch the envelopes and letters Be able to treasure the mails for as long as you want, no matter how torn they are.  You must have come across many handwritten papers which are so priceless.  Some interviews require filling out the form and write short essays by hand Learn to be patient and slow down because constructing meaningful sentences do take some time if you are not used to it The best part is, you can learn to be creative with snail mail and decorate it using washi tapes or some other craft items Nice little surprises when you receive real love letters from the postman or in the mailbox	Send messages instantly Environmentally friendly, no need to print out as you can save in your email account or download elsewhere digitally You can undoubtedly print out any personal emails if you want to but I still find them different. I’d tried printing some personal emails before.  I really thought I could keep them like keeping snail mails.  However, after a while, I just discarded all of them or recycled the papers Set up an email account is usually free, and you can email as many as you want.  The only cost is the internet usage
Cons	Cons
It’s time-consuming from the preparation for the delivery. But, you can do batch processing – send real mails when you go to post office Not so environmental friendly due to the use of paper. Use scrap paper instead as mentioned in these projects. Not cost-effective as you have to spend extra money to buy an envelope, letter set and stamps if you are not into do-it-yourself stuff	You can still write thoughtfully but due to the nature of emails, one tends to write fast and just click send without checking Many of us are bombarded by all kinds of emails and spam mails. No matter how I clean up almost daily, I still get many spam mails.  Not to mention some of them are pure fake, yet they look quite real. So, got to be careful especially if it’s related to money Handwriting can be a bit weird or ugly due to too much typing.  Sometimes I type so often on the keyboard, I find myself almost forgetting how to hold a pen or pencil properly and write nicely and neatly.  Sometimes I can’t even read my own handwriting… horrible, I know

 

 

Are you convinced by now… why send a real letter?

Snail mail can also be in the form of envelopes and letters, cards, postcards, or even small packages as long as it’s handwritten (or do it yourself from scratch like these mini projects) and sent via postal service.

If not, why not read this article from uncustomary.org – 100 reasons to send snail mail?

This blog entry is actually inspired by it.  I’m so surprised to read that there are so many reasons and days you could make use of sending snail mails.  The article includes some common holidays, such as Valentine’s Day, New Year Celebration, Christmas, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Birthday, Thank you note, etc plus many other unusual holidays which you can take advantage of, for example, Friendship Day, or if you are in a long-distance relationship.

For us here in Malaysia, we also have other celebrations where you can send snail mail, for instance, Hari Raya celebration, Chinese New Year, and Deepavali celebration.

So, these are some suggestions you can use and send your first snail mail right away.

Last but not least, it’s still up to you.  You can have lots of reasons to write a letter, or you don’t need a reason at all.  Since sending real letters does take a bit more time and costs money, you can send it once in a while or during special holidays or celebrations.

The most important thing is to get started.  Grab a pen and paper, use some pretty masking tapes to decorate if you have some, write a few short encouraging sentences or a long-winded one, and mail them to your favorite people.

I can already see their broad grin when they hold your thoughtful snail mails in their hands.

What other pros and cons of snail mail and email?  Which one would you prefer?

 

 

— Product List —

You may choose to purchase from our Lovingcottage store.  Or buy from Amazon and/or other affiliate partners. Here’s my affiliate disclosure for more info.  Please note that some items are the same while some are not exactly the same but related and/or complement.

Check out washi tapes and stationery here!

 

 

Get free stationery papers/letters printable here:
Free Resources Introduction