Tuesday, November 13, 2012

Email Style



Dear Reader,

If this were an email, the greeting might be Hi Reader or simply Reader. Putting Dear in the salutation can appear a tad formal or even cloying and yet Hi is the equivalent of Bermuda shorts. Some of my Latin friends use Esteemed Michael, which I rather like but then I also like Excellency.

Signing off presents similar problems. If you have an informal greeting, it is odd to sign off formally. A few Americans use Cheers, but I'd like to reserve that for Britons and Canadians. Regards and Best Regards may do the trick. Kindest Regards and Warmest Regards are other contenders although the latter may hint at more warmth than is intended.


Anyway, we need to find an appropriate email language, something with style. Please think about it. In the meantime, I remain,

Your Humble Servant,

Michael Wade

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