I’m a big proponent of email when it comes to effective communication. In this case it was a message sent by my eight cousin, Hinrich, in Germany seeking some information on a reference in the Wymeer Ortssippenbuch (a compiled family genealogy of a village or town). My usual sources for finding the information for him were not working, so I sent an email to my seventh cousin, Dee, asking if she would check at the Wellsburg Public Library. She graciously did, scanned and emailed the results to me, which I then forwarded to Hinrich.
Eighth cousin (Germany)–>eighth cousin (Iowa)–>seventh cousin (Iowa)–>eighth cousin (Iowa)–>eighth cousin (Germany)
All this was accomplished with no paper, no stamps, and no money (except for what we already pay in monthly ISP charges.)
What’s not to love about email, distant cousins, and genealogy results!