What is a document

A document is an entity used to record and communicate information visually between people. Examples of things that can be considered documents:

• A piece of paper with English writing on it
• An email
• A software bug report
  
• The Rosetta Stone
• A magazine article
• An instruction manual
• A novel

With the above definition of a document, the following could also be considered a document. Should they?

• A photograph
• A TV show
• A silent movie
  

Generally, these are not considered documents because they don't consist of writing. But what about a photograph of the Rosetta Stone? In addition, what separates a photograph of a product for a catalog from a powerpoint slide with a pie chart? Neither has writing. The latter is considered a document, should the former?

Some defining characteristics of a document:

• A document can convey it's information across space and time easily. Any document in electronic form can be sent over the Internet quickly and for near zero cost. A physical document can be sent via mail or delivery service relatively cheaply. Documents of all forms can last 10s to 1000s of years, and most importantly, can outlast the author.
  
• Documents can be copied. For most forms of documents, an exact copy can be made quickly and cheaply.