If you don't care about surfing the World Wide Web for information, chatting with friends via Internet Relay Chat, researching library offerings through Telnet, or asking for help on Usenet newsgroups, there is still one compelling reason to get online: electronic mail.

With e-mail, the most widely used Internet application, you can quickly send messages, documents, graphics, pictures, animations, audio, video and even entire computer programs in seconds or minutes.

Need more reasons to get you or your business online? Look through these examples and see if you face any of these situations.

Mr. Jones has an urgent legal document that must reach five clients within the next 10 minutes. Because of the short time frame, "next day delivery" options are out.

If Mr. Jones prints out the document and faxes it, the document will look only as good as the faxed printout, runs the risk that it will have additional fax information stamped on the top or bottom of each page and can't be easily edited.

Additionally, since the document is on legal-size paper, Mr. Jones has to be concerned that the recipients' fax machines may choose to reduce the image to fit it on letter-size paper or cut the bottom off each page and force it to a new page.

A final fax faux pas, rolled-up faxed documents that smudge easily.

None of these options are acceptable for this legal document. It must be sent by e-mail to all five people. It probably will get there within two minutes of sending it, though some may receive it within 10 seconds (it depends on how often the Internet service automatically checks for and distributes the e-mail). Each recipient only needs to print out the document to get an original instead of a faxed copy.

Another good example: Ms. Harris, while presenting at a trade show, needed her company's technical support database. She calls her secretary, who quickly e-mails it to her, and saves an important client. He could have also sent her sound, audio, video or other multimedia files just as easy.

A personal example: as a syndicated columnist, I send my Internet Tutor article each week to newspaper editors exclusively through e-mail. I have a single e-mail address group that includes all of them. I just attach my document and they can get it and edit it right from my original text, without having to retype it all.

If none of these examples are reason enough, think of the money you will save.

Think of the savings through overnight deliveries, couriers and long-distance calls (whether by phone or fax).

Think of the savings on letterhead, envelopes, laser toner or inkjet cartridges, packaging and postage.

And last, but not least, think of the savings in personnel time, which may cost the company more money than all the reasons combined.

E-mail can make a significant difference in almost every business and can provide you with an additional means to receive information.

Need proof? How many times has a business colleague, vendor, friend or relative said, "I'll just e-mail it to you."