The Internet has changed the way we communicate with people. There’s no question about that. And that communication evolution is still going on… I remember when I was still in college more than 10 years ago I’d get a lot of e-mails from friends on all kinds of topics. Some are long discussions and some are just quick notices.

Fast forward to today… I don’t get many e-mails anymore outside of work. If a friend wants to find me and tell me about something, I’m more likely to get a message on MSN or on my mobile phone. And then there’s Facebook. More and more people either leave a message on my “Wall” or send me a message on the site.

A few days ago something happened and further pushed me away from e-mails. I didn’t just get mentioned on Twitter via @allenhsieh… I got a direct message on Twitter from a friend telling me when she’d also be in NY while I’m there on vacation myself. Man… I’m not sure I want to be contacted that way.

I miss e-mails. I miss how you can engage in a long discussion back and forth. It’s different from having a conversation on MSN because a series of e-mail exchanges doesn’t happen in real time. It gives you the opportunity to think carefully about what you write and you tend to be more thoughtful and articulate. But I guess once the wheels of change are set in motion, there’s no stopping it! Who knows a few years from now how I will hear from my friends and family…