Some thoughts on paper notes and electronic messages

At two institutions, with which I am familiar, there are two very noticeable differences in the ways in which people communicate. One has to do with the use of the computer mail system. The other with a far more mundane communication device: pregummed notepads. A brief look at similarities and differences between these two media and their use at two different locations may be illuminating with respect to design criteria for message systems. While some of the extrapolations seem to give silly or dull results, others seem to be very suggestive. Most important is the suggestion of a broader definition of message recipient.