End of an era: Western Union abandons telegrams

[ToSeek]

Western Union abandons telegrams (http://news.com.com/2061-10786_3-6033916.html?tag=nl)

First it mostly did away with brick-and-mortar auction houses. Then newspaper classifieds went the way of the Model-T Ford.

And now, thanks to the ubiquity of e-mail and instant messaging, Western Union is getting out of the telegram business, reports LiveScience.

That's like General Motors getting out of the car business. Or AT&T getting out of the phone business.

Well, in any case, after 145 years, Western Union finally decided its little telegram experiment was a dud.

"Effective January 27, 2006, Western Union will discontinue all Telegram and Commercial Messaging services," the company said on its Web site.

[NEOWatcher]

Stop.

[SeanF]

That's like General Motors getting out of the car business. Or AT&T getting out of the phone business.
I don't know about that STOP It's more like Kodak getting out of the film business, and they're certainly on their way to doing that STOP

:)

[The_Radiation_Specialist]

:neutral:

[Jeff Root]

I sent one telegram in my life: To CBS News, to tell them that
they were getting some of their facts confused while reporting
the crisis-in-progress aboard Apollo 13. They got it straight in
the next newscast.

-- Jeff, in Minneapolis

[Doodler]

That's about in the same vein as Pepsi making more money every year through its Frito-Lay division than its softdrink division. In fact, Pepsi makes more on its water and sports drinks than it does in soft drinks. If they stopped making Pepsi tomorrow, their bottom line would likely improve substantially.

Times change.

[soylentgreen]

Times change.

Just not the conglomerates that own them! ;)

[Doodler]

Personally, I'd be curious to see who still used them. It is a rather quaint means of communicating in this century. Almost as bad as quaint as the Pony Express that it superceded.

[Enzp]

I think they are quaint too, and I lament their passing. I sent my father a telegram on his 80th birthday. I thought it would be more fun to have a guy come to the door with a telegram than to just get a card in the mail. It worked.

To paraphrase, it was something like:

Dear Sir STOP Warning STOP EPA says 80 candles too many STOP Suggest four cakes with 20 candles each STOP HArry Birthday STOP Your Son STOP

When I called Western Union to place the telegram, they told me they no longer used "STOP" and I should just use punctuation. I told then I knew that but wanted to use STOP anyway. They tried to insist, and I had to almost fight with them to write a telegram in the old style. WHat is a telegram without all the STOP entries?

It was just a silly thing, but Dad loved it, so I got my reward from the effort. My uncle will be turning 80 in a month or so, and I thought of doing the same for him, but now I can't. Dad has been gone now for a long time, but I won't forget the year he got the telegram.

One use for them was a message that can be deliverd almost immediately and generate a signed receipt, and can be simulataneously sent to multiple places around the country or the world. Times change alright. We dropped FAX a couple years ago around here. ANything you can FAX me you can scan and email.

[Candy]

I don't think the use of the word dud is appropriate. It served a purpose, until something better came along. Oh, that does sound like a dud. :whistle:

[Enzp]

"It served its purpose until something better came along."

Did you mean dud or dude? Hmmmm...

[Candy]

"It served its purpose until something better came along."

Did you mean dud or dude? Hmmmm...:think:

Yes.

[LurchGS]

ok, I'm pedantic. "dud" would be incorrect. Dud is 'non-functioning'. The telegram system still works, but it's outmoded.

The Model T was not a dud, though we no longer drive it (as a matter of general use - there are still a few around)

I wonder if there are other companies that offer Telegrams...

[Jeff Root]

after 145 years, Western Union finally decided its little telegram
experiment was a dud.
The use of the word "dud" was obviously irony. The Ford Model T
was fabulously successful. The telegram, even more so.

-- Jeff, in Minneapolis

[Enzp]

Quick, send Lurch a telegram:

You're a dud, dude STOP

No, I mean it STOP

Cut it out STOP

stop STOP

don't STOP

etc.

[Cylinder]

I think the "dud" reference was a bit of dry sarcasm. I'm sure TS recognizes that the telegraph was A Very Big Deal - the first speed-of-light communication that extended beyond visual range.

[Andromeda321]

.-. ... .--. / --..-- / -- --- .-. ... . / - . .-.. . --. .-. .- -- .../ -.-.-. //

-.-- .- -.-- / ..-. --- .-. / .... .- -- / .-. .- -.. .. --- / -.-.- ////

[Wolverine]

.-.. --- .-.. / -.-. ..- - .

[ToSeek]

You can still send telegrams, just not through Western Union:

http://1-800-prioritytelegram.com/

[Candy]

-- --- •-• ••• • / -•-• --- -•• • (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morse_code)

[mickal555]

You can still send telegrams, just not through Western Union:

http://1-800-prioritytelegram.com/

expensive...

[Metricyard]

145 years is a pretty good run for a business.
Think how many things we've seen become obsolete in a matter of decades, for example:

Records (78's/45's/33's)
8 track (no great loss there)
cassettes
Super 8 video tape
VHS and Beta video tapes
12", 8", 5" and 3-1/2" floppies disks
Metal slinkies (I really miss those)

[Andromeda321]

Hey, a bunch of us got a metal slinky for our dorm steps a few months ago! We really annoyed the hell out of everyone by going up to the 11th story and slinkying it all the way down. :D

[LurchGS]

I, too, much prefer the metal slinky over the plastic ones. The heft is very different, and the sound of the plastic one just plain sucks

Of course, they both snarl if you look at them crosseyed

[Candy]

A slinky, a slinky... what a wonderful toy! I can't remember the jingle.

[Lance]

A slinky, a slinky... what a wonderful toy! I can't remember the jingle.
http://65.24.76.65/sounds/commercials/slinky.mp3

Wow! There is a lot more to that jingle than I remembered.

[Candy]

http://65.24.76.65/sounds/commercials/slinky.mp3

Wow! There is a lot more to that jingle than I remembered.
Thank you, Lance. It's taking too long to load. I'll check it out when I get home from work. Wow, my week of vacation went by fast. :eh:

[Candy]

http://65.24.76.65/sounds/commercials/slinky.mp3

Wow! There is a lot more to that jingle than I remembered.
Boy, was I off. I think this is a longer version of the original slinky song. I can only remember the slinky, slinky dog, and not the slinky train. :think:

[Candy]

http://www.cosgan.de/images/midi/verschiedene/c040.gif

Sorry, I couldn't help myself.

[SeanF]

So I had this dream last night. I don't remember all the details (I never do), but it took place in about the year 2050. We had Star Trek-type phasers and transporters, and I do remember beaming into a place where there were some large tiger-like cats (thought it was indoors) and needing to beam out right away because our phasers weren't working.

The reason I'm posting this in this thread, though, is because of something that happened right before I woke up. There was a television on, and a Crossfire/Hardball type political show was on - produced by Western Union. The host, in signing off, said, "Don't forget, you can now access Western Union on the internet at www.westernunion.com." Even in the dream, I recognized the humor in Western Union being decades behind the times in terms of moving from old technology to new technology.

I had no idea my subconscious had such a sarcastic sense of humor. :)

[publiusr]

Watch those Kzinti.