English pdf 4.95 mb - UPU - Universal Postal Union

Letter-writinglives onIs the personal letter a thing of the past?Without a doubt it has been overshadowedby the Internet and the mobile phone,but examples of the special role it plays ininterpersonal communication still abound.ByDora Precup18 · Union Postale 1/2008It is hard to say exactly how many personal letters andpostcards there are in the overall letter-post volume, butpostal operators in the major industrialized countries estimateinterpersonal correspondence at between five and11% of the volumes they handle.Nowadays, putting pen to paper, buying an envelope andchoosing a nice stamp is often seen as old-fashioned orsentimental, but there is still no substitute for the friendlyinformality of a personal letter (or a greeting card or postcard).Nothing else can provide the same genuine personaltouch.In the United States, where in 2006 the postal servicehandled a world-beating 200 billion (domestic) letter-postitems, the Greeting Card Association, which representsover 280 greeting card manufacturers and suppliers inthe United States and elsewhere, estimates that Americanconsumers buy seven billion greeting cards a year,70% of which go by post.Despite the 500 million online greeting cards sent aroundthe world each year, the association believes they arerarely a substitute for a traditional card. As the associationexplains, “Although e-mail, text messaging andphone calls are valued by Americans for helping themcommunicate with family and friends, the majority ofAmericans say that they prefer the old-fashioned handwrittencard or letter to make someone feel truly special.”Although letter writing may appear to be declining inpopularity, many private individuals, businesses andpostal operators are eagerly promoting it. A prime exampleis the Universal Postal Union’s international letter-writingcompetition for young people, now in its 38th year.Some six million young people take part in this annualcompetition, judged each year with UNESCO assistance.Schools, foundations and writing workshops also do theirbit, working with Posts to promote the art of writing. TheAustralian, Indian and Russian Posts all organize annualletter-writing competitions on a specific theme, independentlyof the UPU initiative.