Advantages of emailFast and cheapIdeal way to reach persons who are difficult to get on the phone (e.g. most physicians!)Because it is written, you can compose and review your message before sendingIdeal for international communications (expense, problems reaching colleagues, differences in time zones)Convenient and non-intrusive: I typically review and answer emails late at night after the kids have gone to bedYou can check your email from any computer in the world; e.g., while visiting, from a hotel room, in your car, etc.You can easily include all or part of previous messages, or the message you are responding to, including point by point responses to questions, etc.Ability to send same message to predefined groups of peopleAbility to include attached files, documents, pictures, datasetsMessages easily archivable and storable in a database; search by sender, date, subject, or put into separate mailboxesAbility to paste from other applications directly into email document (e.g., a review of a paper found on a website)