The internet & extended family !

The Internet offers an opportunity to live our lives with stronger extended family relationships:

• The internet offers us an opportunity to stay closer to our family as we have less need to move for a career. Work from home or near home opportunities exist and will increase.
  
• Instant inexpensive global communication means: Even if we have a family that is far flung, we can have a constant flow of communication among all family members.
  
• In the recent past, peer groups have become as or more important than extended family. Many factors including the internet will change the nature of peer groups. As an example, we now place quite a bit of emphasis on networking & building mentoring relationships. This takes place more easily and quite naturaly within extended family.
• Very significant, is the persistence of nepotism. Nepotism is not going to stop having an affect. Rather than ceasing to exist, nepotism will evolve, adapting to the new ways of doing things.

As with most trends, not everyone will experiance the above. Good examples of the trend will co-exist along with bad examples. Family leaders with vision & good instincts will use the internet to build strong family relationships.