[Sano sighs, when Shinpachi admit he lost the manual. Seriously, Shinpachi was far from clumsy, so how did his friend always end up in these situations?]

I'll make you a copy of mine.

[And thank Merlin's wits for asking for two.]

Basically? I doubt it can completely replace owl post at this point, but it's definitely faster, and easier, and more versatile. You can not only write with it, but also talk. And talking over great distances only worked until now, if you had good knees and a fire place at your disposal. It's supposed to make communication over great distances easier and faster.