It feels like the 18th century all over again. All that daily correspondence, all those long hours spent hunched over a desk, composing some thoughtful missive about one's dowry or the Jacobite rebellions. Signed, "Yr humble servant."More advice at the story, including suggestions from the great-grandson of Emily Post. Really.
Same deal now, basically, except (obviously) we're not clutching quills; we're writing a passel of e-mails and clicking send on ye olde BlackBerry until our fingers bleed. And something else isn't quite the same: Unlike the heroes and heroines of epistolary novels, we aren't blessed with time-tested formal guidance on the correct way to sign off.
"Best"?
"Cheers"?
"Sincerely"?
...Will Schwalbe, co-author with David Shipley of "Send: Why People Email So Badly and How to Do It Better," warns, "You can really do a lot of damage, even with a careless closing. And one of the terrifying things about e-mail is: You may never know."
So how do you sign off in your e-mails?