Email is good for deliberate long - term conversations, but if both parties are currently attached to the Internet, there must be a way for them to connect a little more immediately. There are a number of protocols and programs designed exactly for that purpose. In general, talk programs are those that are used between two people. There is another related class of programs which is designed to allow many people (even hundreds) to communicate simultaneously.
New forms of these programs are coming along all the time, as transmission speeds increase and technology improves. Current chat programs allow real - time sound transmission, drawing on remote screens with a mouse, and even real - time video!