As a result, larger number of possible modes of communication are possible. On the short and fast end, there is chat and instant messaging, which deliver small amounts of text near instantaneously to one or many destinations. Because of their speed, these modes of communication are more closely akin to telephone conversations than they are to letters, or even small notes. However, they still offer some advantages of text in that it is possible to write something, reflect on it, then edit accordingly, even if it is only a line or two. Because they are fast, and the unit of communication is small, Chat and instant messaging are good tools for dialogue, with the added advantage that they can be heard and participated in by any number of people, and they lack the limitation of having to be in the same geographical location.
Email is slightly slower, and inherently asynchronous.
Though in name it is likened to sending a letter, email differs in a few key qualities. Second, it can be between any number of people. Thanks to mailing lists, a conversation can happen as easily between 2 people as it can between 200 - seamlessly. For these reasons, email is more conducive to fostering dialogue than its paper and envelope counterpart. Digital text is again unlike the other two media in that while it is conducive to dialogue, it is also well suited for documents.