I’ve thought a little more

I’ve thought a little more about my earlier comments about the weaknesses of the net as a communication tool.
Whilst I stand by what I said, I feel I should add this qualification: the net is no different to any other tool. It is only effective in the hands of a skilled operator.
Handy analogy: think of the internet as a big bag full of builders tools. You could use those tools to form materials (your thoughts and ideas) into something beautiful, like a lovely home, a super extension or even just a smart set of shelves. But to do that, you need to know how to use those tools effectively. Otherwise, the result will be a bloody mess at best, or dangerous at worst.
I suppose what I am trying to say is this: the internet, including email, instant messaging, websites, blogs, e-commerce – the whole lot – is simply a tool. It is a means. It is not an end in itself. It is, without doubt, a very exciting, innovative, constantly changing, hugely mutable and malleable tool. But, in the end, it is only a means of getting a message across.
You must decide what that message is – it could be that you want to entertain, educate, promote, market, inform, humour, excite, titillate, provoke. But these are all forms of communication, and that is what you do with the net – communicate. The net is not the end – the message is the end, the purpose. The net is merely a method of getting that message across.
And, just like our analogous builder with his set of tools, you need two things – the correct, good quality materials and the correct tool for the job. You might have the most wonderful piece of wood in the world for making your shelf, but if the only tool that you are willing to use is a chainsaw, it isn’t going to look that good when you’re done.
So the value of what you do with the net depends on two things – the quality of the message that you send in the first instance, and the way in which you send it.
If you forget that, then you are pissing in the wind.