Email closings
I wrote a post a few years ago poking fun at how people (myself included) sign off on their email correspondence. Ben recently pointed me to a Post article on the same subject (written a little more seriously than mine). I continue to find amusing the myriad of ways people use to sign their emails – especially now that social media “coolness” has invaded the tech circles that I run around in (i.e., where there’s more pressure than ever to be seen as cool and with it in the tech world). This has only served to increase the craziness of email sign-offs. Here are a few of my favorites along with my interpretation of their meaning (updated with a few new ones). I’m curious to hear any outlandish or amusing sign-offs that readers have received. Let me know.
- Cheers! – I’m cool!
- Best – I don’t want to be locked into a specific sign-off – please interpret as you wish (best wishes, best regards, best cheers, etc.)
- All the best – When “Best” simply isn’t good enough
- Ciao! – I’m cool! and trying to act foreign
- See Ya! – I’m trying to act 15; don’t all the kids say this still?
- Sincerely – I took this really great business writing class in high school
- Thanks – I really do mean thanks (when used correctly) / I can’t think of anything else to say (when used incorrectly, for example at the bottom of a flame e-mail)
- Hope all is well – Please DO NOT write back with details of whether you are well or not – I’m just trying to be polite
- Warm regards – I’ve just returned from my latest analyst session and am feeling pretty centered
- See you on [insert social media site here] – I’m very plugged in to the social web
- [nothing but your name] – Sometimes less is more
- — [first initial] – we’re really good friends (or I’m trying to pretend we are)
- [not even your name – just your full signature] – I’m so efficient/important/etc. that I don’t have time to even type in my name