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By happenstance recently, I saw someone online talking about how social media has had a negative impact on communication. Specifically, it was about how people post life updates and major announcements on their social media, and then expect everyone to know about it afterwards.

But what about people who don’t regularly check their social media feeds? And what about the algorithms these websites use which scrambles everything into a non-chronological timeline, meaning that you might not see the post until days later, if at all?

Can you really get mad about people not knowing when all you did was post the digital equivalent of a flyer on a community bulletin board?

Personally, I don’t spend a lot of time on my Facebook. I browse the first couple of posts at the top of my page (which are often from accounts I don’t even follow for some reason) and then I head elsewhere on the internet to kill time instead. If you want to let me know about something important in your life, you’re going to have to reach out to me directly!

This topic got me thinking about other, more personal forms of communication. Letter writing, for example, almost feels like a lost art these days.

I remember one year in elementary school we wrote a letter to a pen pal who lived in another part of the United States. I don’t have the letter I received anymore, so my memory of the details is fuzzy now, but it was fun to talk to someone new through the mail. There’s always an enjoyable bit of anticipation when you receive a letter, wondering what’s going to be inside.

Also when I was in school, my cousin who lives in South Carolina did a school project with Flat Stanley (which is a book series where the main character is mailed around to visit different places). I opened my mail one day to receive a laminated copy of Flat Stanley himself from my cousin. So I took a photo on one of my dad’s peanut trailers with Flat Stanley in hand, and I wrote a letter about what it was like growing up on a farm. Then I mailed Stanley, the photo, and the letter back to my cousin.

I haven’t done a lot of letter correspondence with people in the years since, but I do occasionally receive thank you cards and holiday cards, which are always a nice surprise. And once in a blue moon, I try to mail out something to friends as well.

Every year, I say I’m going to send Christmas cards to my friends – I even bought a pack of cards three years ago – and every year, I somehow forget until after New Years. But maybe this year will be different!

It may seem a bit old-fashioned but it would be nice to write out a little message to friends who I don’t get to see on a regular basis. We can communicate other ways, of course, but letters and cards are a nice surprise when the rest of your mail is mostly just bills and junk.

I like to read NPR’s “Life Kit” series when I have time, and a few months ago, they had an article about “the delightfully analog art of letter writing.” Analog is a good way to describe it, I think. Even in our increasingly digital age, you only need pencil (or pen), paper, and an envelope to write a letter.

Here are a few tips about letter writing from the article:

You don’t have to look far for a pen pal. You can start with family and friends who you might not get to see as frequently as you’d like. Or if you want to make some new friends, try asking some of your social media acquaintances if they want to exchange letters.

It’s okay to write about the weather. Some people think the weather is a boring conversation starter. But if you think about it, the weather can play a big part in our lives, whether we realize it or not. Growing up around farmers meant that we were always talking about the weather because that affected the crops and what work they were going to do each week. Even if you’re not a farmer, the weather may affect your mood, your travel plans, or even what you want to wear that week. Starting a conversation with the weather often transitions easily into a number of other topics.

You don’t always need an exciting life update to write about. Of course, if something major is happening in your life, you’re probably going to include that. But there are no restrictions on what you can talk about in a letter. Maybe you want to reminisce about some fun childhood memories. Or maybe you want to talk about a new recipe you tried recently that worked out well. You could even share information about an interesting topic you just learned about. Anything is fair game.

Make it fun. You can include little gifts along with your letters, such as stickers, iron-on patches, pressed flowers, photos, or just about anything else that’ll fit in the envelope. (I once received a Christmas card that contained confetti. Which was cute, but also a little messy!) And you can write on any kind of paper you want. Find some fancy stationery. Or just doodle a pattern around the edges of regular paper.

Take a photo of your letter. If you’re like me, you might forget what you wrote after you send it. Try snapping a quick photo of your letter before you mail it, just so you’ll have a record of it later.

If you’re interested in doing some good old-fashioned letter writing, I hope you all have fun with it. Direct communication is always better than relying on checking the social media bulletin board.

Holly Taylor is a staff writer for Roanoke-Chowan Publications. Contact her at holly.taylor@r-cnews.com or at 252-332-7206.