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This article compares the importance of the Web and paper as a communication channel. The Web is best for short, quick information retrieval; paper, for new, long and complicated ideas; face-to-face, for overcoming resistance to change. Knowing which medium is best suited to your particular communication needs is the key to ensuring that your message is received and understood. Messages that are new, long and complicated belong on paper, not on web pages. Understanding is higher when that kind of message is read and absorbed from a paper document. The Web's use of hyperlinks is the reason for its lower comprehension. Links focus the mind on navigating, squeezing out the mental energy left for comprehending. Click one and you may be taken to the definition of A highlighted word; click another and you may be taken to a picture; click yet another and a video commentary begins, or an e-mail page opens inviting your comments to the site host. Paper's strength is comprehension. People use the Web; they read paper. When reading from paper, employees can devote all their mental resources to understanding.