about letters to the editor

Before the Web, letters and surface mail were virtually the only way the staff of a magazine or newspaper could "swiftly" exchange ideas with their readership. Editors published their personal opinions in a letters to the editor column; readers responded by sending letters expressing their opinion of the editor's opinions, which the editor also published in his column. Readers also sounded off about major issues of the day and about anything else that weighed on their minds, including the letters submitted by other readers. And so it went.

We place quotation marks around swiftly because time is relative. Swift means coming, happening, or performed quickly or without delay. What swift actually means in any particular circumstance is a matter of opinion.

In the 21st century we have new opportunities, new ways to do things, ways that seem to shrink time. Partly because of this, today we have a new standard for what it means to be swift, a standard set by and in the Communications Age.

Today, Swift has taken on a new meaning. We still have the old need to share ideas and share them swiftly—that never changes—but the old ways of exchanging ideas just aren't fast enough anymore. Now that we have the advantage of the Web, we have the means to give swift a new reality.

what Electricka did to Bring letters to the editor up to date

Thinking about letters to the editor, Electricka concluded that it was time to bring the letters to the editor column up to date. She decided to create a column to serve a purpose similar to that of an old fashioned letters to the editor column—direct two-way communication between Electricka and her visitors—but instead of relying on newsprint, paper, or surface mail, she wanted to put a new twist on this valuable old idea.

What did she do to bring things up to date? She implemented the E-Mails To The Editor feature as a discussion group at Electricka's Forums. This speeds things up the opinion process considerably. By putting her E-Mails To The Editor column online, visitors get direct, virtually instant access to Electricka's column 24 hours a day, everyday.

Because Electricka has made her E-Mails To The Editor feature a forum at Electricka's Forums, you can instantly:

• Read what other visitors are asking or saying about the arts or about Electricka's web site.
• See past or present submissions and responses.
• Ask Electricka, her cohort muses, or her visitors questions, make requests, express opinions, or inform them about issues in the world of the arts. NOTE: Topics are limited to Electricka's web site or to arts topics related to Electricka's cohort muses.
• React to Electricka's comments, comments by other visitors, or to E-Mails To The Editor sent by others.

where is the email in E-mails To the Editor?

E-Mails To The Editor is implemented as a discussion group at Electricka's Forums. Given that no email is involved in this feature, you may be slightly confused about why Electricka calls this feature E-Mails To The Editor.

Any possible confusion is easy to clear up. The "E" in E-Mails To The Editor stands for Electricka. Thus, the E-Mail in E-Mails To The Editor stands for Electricka Mail, not email.