Yes, I'm going somewhere with this. As you may know, April marks the 150th anniversary of the American Civil War.

But what you may not know, is that it was during the Civil War that email's predecessor--the telegram (or T-mail if you will)--helped save the day.

As with any new form of communication, the key factor to using the telegram was knowing the right time and place to use it.  And Abraham Lincoln was a natural.

My favorite resource on this subject is Tom Wheeler's book, Mr. Lincoln's T-mails. A highly-recommended read for anyone interested in learning something new about the Civil War as well as the history of electronic communication and how we can use it better today.