If you are reading this brand new web site of mine, it means you have embraced internet technology. The point is, it hasn't taken many expats very long to realize how much easier it is to e-mail family and friends back home instead of spending a fortune on a long distance phone call. I believe the internet has dramatically changed the expatriate assignment for the better. I also know this from the many virtual friends I have made who want to share expat stories and experience. Yes, it's true that for the working partner, e-mail has meant headquarters can never seem to go away and time zones are not respected when it comes to delivery of reports or product information.
Companies can set up intranets on their own web site and devote space to spouses and families.
To me, that's great news. So much has been written in the mainstream media about the isolation which the internet has created. And don't get me started on home leave shopping. Best of all, in my view, is that with newspapers and magazines and books and any other e-commerce that offers expatriates the consumer support they need, all those things you used to have to rely on family back home to provide you with will be at available at your nearest keyboard mall. Expat families will have greater independence thanks to the interent.