Personal computers and the Internet give people new choices about how to spend their time.
Some may use this freedom to share less time with certain friends or family members, but new
technology will also let them stay in closer touch with those they care most about. I know this from
personal experience.
     E-mail makes it easy to work at home, which is where I now spend most weekends and evenings.
My working hours aren't necessarily much shorter than they once were but I spend fewer of them at
the office.    This lets me share more time with my young daughter than I might have if she'd been
born before electronic mail became such a practical tool.
     The Internet also makes it easy to share thoughts with a group of friends. Say you do something
fun see a great movie perhaps-and there are four or five friends who might want to hear about it. If
you call each one, you may tire of telling the story.
      With E-mail, you just write one note about your experience, at your convenience, and address it
to all the friends you think might be interested. They can read your message when they have time, and
read only as much as they want to. They can reply at their convenience, and you can read what they
have to say at your convenience.
      E-mail is also an inexpensive way stay in close touch with people who live far away. More than
a few parents use E-mail to keep in touch, even daily touch, with their children off at college.
     We just have to keep in mind that computers and the Internet offer another way ofstaying in touch.
 They don't take the place of any of the old ways.