We must be aware of the role that personal contact, as opposed to information exchange, plays in the effectiveness of this process. It is important that the move to electronic communications strengthen and improve Earthwatch, and that nothing essential is lost. In particular, we must manage the transition so that those who are not yet adequately connected electronically are not excluded from participating, and that the old forms of operating are not abandoned before the new technologies are fully ready to replace them. Forms of hybrid operation with both old and new working in parallel will be necessary for some time to come. Pros and cons of electronic networking 6.
Internet technologies have great potential, but also obvious limitations.
Practical experience suggests that a busy official's electronic in-basket fills up as quickly as the paper one. There is still a considerable percentage of electronic messages that vanish in the system, so that the reliability of communications is not assured. There are often delays of hours or days in the delivery of messages internationally, so that any process of dialogue or interchange is stretched out in time. Those partners without adequate internet connectivity would have to be included in any exchange through hard copies or diskettes by pouch or fax. Many of those with e-mail are still not fully accustomed to electronic communication, as shown by some of the receipts from Earthwatch focal points that arrive one or two months later.