1. Email

One of the most convenient ways to keep in touch with friends through the internet is by email. Unlike regular mail, email is free to send and is delivered almost immediately. You don't have to be online at the same time as your friends to keep in touch this way. It is also easy because whenever a friend emails you, all you have to do is hit "reply" and send them a message back. You don't have to find paper and a pen or get your printer working, and you don't have to look for stamps (and hope they are still for the right amount) or drive to the post office. Email is easy and convenient and a great way to keep in touch with your friends through the internet.

2. Instant Messaging

When you and your friends can be online at the same time, another great way to keep in touch through the internet is with instant messaging, better known as IM. Most instant messaging services are free and as long as your friends are signed up for the same service, there's no limit (or expense) to your conversation. Some instant messaging services even offer video/webcam capabilities so you can see each other and chat no matter how far apart you live. Seeing a friend and talking to them in real-time over the internet is almost as good as real life. IM is just another easy and inexpensive way to keep in touch with friends through the internet.

3. Blogs and Personal Websites

The fastest growing way to keep in touch with friends and family through the internet is through personal blogs and websites. There are several server hosts for blogs that allow people to build and maintain a blog for free and personal websites can cost as little as five dollars a year. You can even set up your blog or website to automatically send out an email to everyone on your list whenever you update the information on it. A blog or personal website is a place to post pictures and comment on your life so people can feel like they are there and apart of things rather than a ways away. The more you can automate keeping in touch with friends, the more you'll actually do it. Just be sure to read and comment on your friends' blogs too so it isn't a one-sided friendship.

4. Social Networks

Another simple and very popular way to keep in touch with your friends through the internet is through social networking sites. Social network sites can be as small as the neighborhood online events calendar to as large as social networks such as facebook, twitter, and myspace. Social networks are places for people to chat, leave messages and online gifts for each other, and get to see each other's hobbies and interests. You can post pictures, check out videos, and stay connected. Rather than be on the side-lines of someone's life, get involved with their social network page and stay in touch through the internet.