It doesn't take long online to build a network of contacts and even become friends with contacts you have never met — and may never meet — in person. It usually is preferable to deal face-to-face with people, but the future promises more online interactions and electronic relationships. Businesses, government agencies, and other organizations are using Web links to lower costs by reducing the telephone contact and personal contact between customers or citizens and service representatives. No longer do you simply pick up a phone, call someone, explain your predicament, and have him or her transfer you to someone who may be able to help you. More often, a recorded announcement tells you to go to a Web site, click on a link that leads to another link, and another and another. There, after you have slogged through a pre-posted list of Commonly Asked Questions and their answers, you may find an e-mail link — not to a person but to a virtual department, such as helpdesk@thisveryimpersonalcorp.com. At last, you get to pose your question or explain your predicament.

Expect more of this when dealing with large organizations. Building and expanding a network of business, government, and personal e-mail contacts has become a necessity and will be even more of a necessity in the near future. Your only other recourse may be to deal with smaller organizations and independent businesspeople whenever possible. For instance, you may grow weary of wading through multilevel online menus to order a laser printer toner cartridge from a major source of office supplies. Instead, you may go down the supply chain to an online auction seller who (1) has a small stock of the cartridge you need and (2) answers questions from buyers personally, because just he and his wife run the business and they need every sale they can get.