Otherwise, real time may become a day or two later, but even so; it can still be more convenient than snail mail.

However, it’s often perplexing knowing the best way to share or transport documents across the internet and if the recipient will be able to open them.

Even someone who understands different file formats can be bamboozled by the x-factor, which “often” finds its way into the world of computers – the unseen scenario.

Consider what the recipient will be doing with the document once they receive it; reading it, editing it or simply deleting it.

This allows you to make the best choice possible.

If the recipients will be reading the document, without the ability to edit your work or just printing it, then PDF’s (Portable Document Format) are the best solution.

Unfortunately, you need specific software to create PDF’s but there are some reasonably priced PDF Creators on the market.

There's also a free PDF addin available for download from Microsoft for those who use Microsoft Office 2007; just search www.microsoft.com for PDF addin - it will allow you to save any Word documents as a PDF.

Sending PDF’s means the document will appear exactly as you want it to appear and the recipient can open it with Acrobat Reader, a free program found on most computers or downloadable from the internet.

Another great thing about PDF’s is they are viewable and printable on multiplatforms – Macintosh, Windows and UNIX.

Of course, PDF’s aren’t the best solution if the recipient will need to edit the document; in this case RTF’s (Rich Text Format) are a good option.

RTF’s are another multiplatform format, which can be read and edited using most Word Processors.

The software or operating system is irrelevant – anyone can view and edit the document.

The RTF format is much easier to generate than PDF as no additional software is needed – just Word Processing software.