Ibbygirl Posted November 29, 2010 Share Posted November 29, 2010 I remember learning to write business letters when I was in 7th grade. We had to choose a person or company to write to, write a letter (usually requesting something) and send it in order to learn how to write business letters. I wrote to President Reagan requesting a photograph and they sent me back an autographed black and white 8x10 photo of him. I really wanted to do the same thing with my daughter, but I'm having a heck of a time finding actual addresses to send letters to. There are only a handful of companies that my daughter is interested in writing to, but so far the only contact information I can find is for email. Is the traditional business letter obsolete now? :confused: I haven't been in the workforce since before internet days so I'm wondering how business correspondence is conducted now. Do they even use a "business letter" format anymore? I'd love to hear what the hive has to say on this. I'm really quite clueless as to how things are done in the business world anymore with the invent of the internet. :blushing: Thanks to all who reply. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melissa in Australia Posted November 29, 2010 Share Posted November 29, 2010 I have had to use business letter format for my uni studies that I am currently doing. I had to write the letter in the correct business format, then email it to them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
katemary63 Posted November 29, 2010 Share Posted November 29, 2010 Yeah, just write it as a business letter and email it. Business letters are sure not obsolete. My DD25 is writing a cover letter for her resume right now! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mothersweets Posted November 29, 2010 Share Posted November 29, 2010 What if you have your daughter write to the president, just like you did? It would be fun for her to receive something back from him! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean in Newcastle Posted November 29, 2010 Share Posted November 29, 2010 I write business letters all the time! Usually it is to get something in writing like a complaint or specific instructions that need to be followed for some reason or another. And yes, I've written them to also praise a company or an employee. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fhjmom Posted November 29, 2010 Share Posted November 29, 2010 You could always email them and ask for a physical address and the name of the appropriate contact person (or department) so you have someone for your daughter to address it to. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ibbygirl Posted November 30, 2010 Author Share Posted November 30, 2010 Thanks everyone for your replies. I feel so old. lol I left the workforce to have my kids right as internet was coming into it so I missed the whole change in the office environment. Thanks for your helpful comments and advice. :) @Mothersweets I actually asked her if she wanted to write the president and told her how I got a reply from the White House when Ronald Reagan was president. Her reply, "What?! Why would I write to Obama? I hate politics!" lol Kids. :tongue_smilie: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OnTheBrink Posted November 30, 2010 Share Posted November 30, 2010 I'd say a good 1/3 of the documents I deal with are business letters, from one physician to another. Not obsolete, even in hospitals with electronic charting!:001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sebastian (a lady) Posted November 30, 2010 Share Posted November 30, 2010 I remember learning to write business letters when I was in 7th grade. We had to choose a person or company to write to, write a letter (usually requesting something) and send it in order to learn how to write business letters. I wrote to President Reagan requesting a photograph and they sent me back an autographed black and white 8x10 photo of him. I really wanted to do the same thing with my daughter, but I'm having a heck of a time finding actual addresses to send letters to. There are only a handful of companies that my daughter is interested in writing to, but so far the only contact information I can find is for email. Is the traditional business letter obsolete now? :confused: I haven't been in the workforce since before internet days so I'm wondering how business correspondence is conducted now. Do they even use a "business letter" format anymore? I'd love to hear what the hive has to say on this. I'm really quite clueless as to how things are done in the business world anymore with the invent of the internet. :blushing: Thanks to all who reply. :) I just wrote one this morning documenting something and requesting an action relating to our move. There are a lot of emails that have replaced many short items that would have been letters in the past. I'm not convinced that all those emails are particularly well thought through or well written. I know I keep getting them from one of the local scouting staffers that leave me more confused than before the email Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ibbygirl Posted November 30, 2010 Author Share Posted November 30, 2010 I just wrote one this morning documenting something and requesting an action relating to our move. There are a lot of emails that have replaced many short items that would have been letters in the past. I'm not convinced that all those emails are particularly well thought through or well written. I know I keep getting them from one of the local scouting staffers that leave me more confused than before the email LOL I'm glad to hear it's not extinct yet. :) I don't know, there's just something about taking the time to write an actual letter that is so different from email. Like you just said, emails are shot off so quickly they are not always well thought out. I also really wonder how much email actually gets read these days with spam and whatnot. Thanks Sebastian, Michelle and all you gals for making me feel better. lol I was feeling seriously over the hill and I'm only 30!! :001_huh: lol ETA and I think I am going to write a letter myself to the White House asking for a photo of President Obama. My dd may not give a whit about politics right now, but it will be a cool thing to have when she's older. A signed photo of the first African American president is a cool thing. :) She could show her kids someday and say, "I remember when ...." :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JumpedIntoTheDeepEndFirst Posted November 30, 2010 Share Posted November 30, 2010 Business letters shouldn't be obsolete. Email should just be a way of sending them without stamps. Unfortunately we often do give enough thought to our emails. Keep up the good work-letter writing shouldn't be a lost art or skill. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ibbygirl Posted November 30, 2010 Author Share Posted November 30, 2010 Business letters shouldn't be obsolete. Email should just be a way of sending them without stamps. Unfortunately we often do give enough thought to our emails. Keep up the good work-letter writing shouldn't be a lost art or skill. :) Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EmilyK Posted November 30, 2010 Share Posted November 30, 2010 My son wrote President Obama last year. It took a while to get a reply but there was a photo and other correspondence. He was so excited. I'm a lawyer and write business letters all the time so they'd better not be extinct! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ibbygirl Posted November 30, 2010 Author Share Posted November 30, 2010 My son wrote President Obama last year. It took a while to get a reply but there was a photo and other correspondence. He was so excited. I'm a lawyer and write business letters all the time so they'd better not be extinct! LOL That's awesome! I really want to write Obama myself even if I can't persuade my daughter to do so. That's so cool that they still give the photos out. It's been 27 years since I wrote to Ronald Reagan. Things can change a lot in that time. I'm glad that is still the same.:) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommaduck Posted November 30, 2010 Share Posted November 30, 2010 They still teach it in business school! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ibbygirl Posted November 30, 2010 Author Share Posted November 30, 2010 They still teach it in business school! Good to know. :) I just didn't know how it all worked with emails and internet now. How do they teach that in business school? Is there a specific protocol for internet that I should know? Thanks. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommaduck Posted November 30, 2010 Share Posted November 30, 2010 Good to know. :) I just didn't know how it all worked with emails and internet now. How do they teach that in business school? Is there a specific protocol for internet that I should know? Thanks. :) They teach it mostly in keyboarding and computer (learning various programs) classes. You see examples, you are taught that a memo has three different formats and a business letter has a certain number of formats. I can't remember the names off the top of my head as I'm not doing it everyday now. You are given assignments based off of lessons and they are graded for accuracy. It's very simple. Any GOOD typing book will have these examples. Older composition and grammar books will also have lessons on it (Warner's). It works the same whether on a type writer, by hand, or via email. If it's official business, then it should be treated as such, regardless the means of delivery. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ibbygirl Posted November 30, 2010 Author Share Posted November 30, 2010 I write them. Usually to complain about something.... but they are useful. LOL :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ibbygirl Posted November 30, 2010 Author Share Posted November 30, 2010 They teach it mostly in keyboarding and computer (learning various programs) classes. You see examples, you are taught that a memo has three different formats and a business letter has a certain number of formats. I can't remember the names off the top of my head as I'm not doing it everyday now. You are given assignments based off of lessons and they are graded for accuracy. It's very simple. Any GOOD typing book will have these examples. Older composition and grammar books will also have lessons on it (Warner's). It works the same whether on a type writer, by hand, or via email. If it's official business, then it should be treated as such, regardless the means of delivery. That's good to know. I have some good books from when I went to business school many, many moons ago that teach the different formats of business letters and I was going to use it with my dd to teach her, but as I was preparing for the lesson and trying to get address for her to be able to mail her letter to, that's when I realized people were only using email and I panicked I guess. lol Thanks so much to all of you ladies for your comments. They were most helpful. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mothersweets Posted November 30, 2010 Share Posted November 30, 2010 Thanks everyone for your replies. I feel so old. lol I left the workforce to have my kids right as internet was coming into it so I missed the whole change in the office environment. Thanks for your helpful comments and advice. :) @Mothersweets I actually asked her if she wanted to write the president and told her how I got a reply from the White House when Ronald Reagan was president. Her reply, "What?! Why would I write to Obama? I hate politics!" lol Kids. :tongue_smilie: Too funny! Hmmm, maybe I'll have my kids write him. Might be fun to see what we receive back. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vonfirmath Posted November 30, 2010 Share Posted November 30, 2010 We do a lot of business letters in our line of work -- then sign, scan and email the letters. Only warranties get sent in physical mail. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcconnellboys Posted November 30, 2010 Share Posted November 30, 2010 We've done writing of business letters since about fourth or fifth grade. We just reviewed the difference between business and friendly letters today as a matter of fact.... No, they're not obsolete, although they may be emailed more often today then sent through regular mail. I still think kids need to know how to address envelopes and mail letters, LOL..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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