E-Feelings

Do not e-mail a potentially emotional message.

That is the advice I got from a corporate manager, and she speaks from experience.

Furthermore, researchers recently discovered how easily, in an e-mail, even mundane remarks can be misinterpreted. College students sent e-mail messages about weather and cafeteria food to friends, and expected misinterpretations of the messages' emotional content only about 22% of the time. Instead, respondents invested the messages with unintended emotional meanings 44% of the time (Kruger & Epley, J Pers & Soc Psych, December 2005).

Emoticons or smilies are outdated. Few of us still use IMHO (in my humble opinion) or FWIW (for what it's worth). But old-fashioned courtesies remain. Perhaps we might bring back the "warm regards" and "thank you so much" of earlier eras. And if the message is emotional, let's avoid e-mail and use telephone or face-to-face contact.

At least, that's my humble opinion.