title: Returning and Sending data from an ASP.net Web Service
body: <p>At present, we have a number of web services where when we send data to them, we send it as a string which is an XML block and the web service parses and does some work.</p>
  
  <p>Similarly, when we need data from a web service, we are returning a string which is again an XML block which the client application parses.</p>
  
  <p>Are there disadvantages in doing it this way. Also should we be returning types that get serialized to xml?</p>
  
  <p>JD</p>