The blueprint for writing letters was laid down a long time ago, but with e-mail the terrain is still being mapped.
Marion von Adlerstein, author of The Penguin Book of Etiquette, tells us what our e-mail salutations and sign-offs say about us.
Dear Ms White. You don’t know me but I’d like to make a good impression. That’s why I’ll close with Best wishes.
Richard. Sit up and take notice because I’m very important—most likely your boss. There’s no need for me to finish with anything but my full signature, including surname and title.
Hi Simon. I’m an informal kind of person and you and I are either associates on a similar level in business, or good personal friends. As a sign-off, Cheers has such
affable connotations.
Hello Chris Hunt. I don’t know your gender, or whether you’d be offended if I used your first name only, so I’m playing it safe. I’ll end with Kind regards.
Dearest Rob. I have great affection for you and you know that already, even before you read Love before my name at the bottom.
Good Morning Maria. I like tradition but I’m not hardline about it, so in closing I’ll say Warm regards or As ever.
Darling Amy. You are either the love of my life or I am exasperated with you and about to let you have it. All my love goes with the first, Sincerely or I mean it this time with the second.
Sweetie! We’re playmates who share secrets. Ta-ta, Seeya xx or Ciao for now are suitably silly finales.
Anybody home? You haven’t answered the e-mail I sent three days ago. Toodle-oo softens the reprimand it implies.
Greetings. This message has gone to everybody in my address book, so however it ends won’t make it seem personal. But Best wishes makes the best of it.
Emoticons such as a happy :-) and a winking ;-) sit more comfortably in personal e-mails than in business ones, apart from informal exchanges between colleagues. And think carefully before you use acronyms. While LOL can mean Lots Of Love, it also stands for Laugh Out Loud and Little Old Lady!
