Finishing an Email
I've commented on this before but I have a protocol that I usually use when emailing someone. I like to finish my emails in a way that acknowledges that you have reached the end of the message.
My first email tends to be on the more formal side.
[Cheers | Best regards | All the best | Best of luck to you],
Jonathan
Once the formality is out of the way, I keep it short. The verbosity is unnecessary since you should already know my name and the goodbye greeting sounds odd in the middle of an ongoing conversation.
In which case, I like to use my initial prefaced by a hyphen.
-j
And yet, I've played with other options...
.js
Consider that I do a fair amount of JavaScript development and my initials are JS, I thought there was a subtle humour in ending my emails with the file extension.
However, recently, I've started something new.
=j
The hyphen seemed negative. Whereas the equal sign creates a smirk-like emoticon—a sense of levity to go with my brevity. And really, aren't we all just equals?
Okay, maybe I think too much.
Conversation
Much like you I start out formal but generally end up using a code comment-like notation.
// -- AMD
This is after about 10 different variations...so I guess we both think too much.
I usually end my first email with regards, and if I am emailing my boss or someone higher up, I'll always end with a formal closing. For all others after the first email I usually end with either ma or -ma.
The ".js" is kinda awesome.
I just have a auto added Signature added to all mails.
When I'm dealing with a client I always end in a formal way. In case the client needs my phone number or any other contact information they'll always find it in the last mail I've sent them. With other people I usually just write
best!
y
I usually sign off as /j but now I may have to change to .j or /jg :)
/j
I avoid '-' instead, I use ~Todd. The ~ character in my mind for whatever reasons makes it seem like a shorthand for "signed."
Ah, the mind games we play with ourselves.
I tend to use "~Levi F" or "~Levi" on my informal email/forum posts. I do totally agree with you on giving the reader a sense of closure at the end of the email. In the case of forum posts, it helps when searching for your own posts when the "Search by Username" b0rks or something. That and searching with Google.
I'd try a shorter "~lf" now that you mention it, but I'm afraid the lowercase "L" is a bit ambiguous. :(
Maybe "~L" or "~LF"… We'll see! ;)
Cheers,
~L
Since my name starts with an "M" I have at times in the past used forward and back slashes to stylize the letter, e.g., /\/\ark, just /\/\. Actually this works with my last name as well, so I can be /\/\ark /\/ichols.
But .js is sleek and elegant compared to using four characters just for one letter. I may have to try a .mn to see how that feels.
I have a default signature that just says "Thanks" followed by my name, job title, and contact info. It almost always gets used; unless I don't want or have time to deal with the person right now, then they get "Sent from my iPhone".
Weirdo!!! lol
I usually have 10 lines of information about my job position, my postal address, various URL's and 3 phone numbers. Then I have 20 lines of additional confidentiality information and disclaimers, regardless if I'm just wishing someone a nice weekend.
.js is brilliant! I sign with my first name followed by a period. As though it's the last sentence in the email.
Like so,
Taylor.
Try Dollar sign Jonathan :D
P.S.: You can never think too much when it's about formality ;)
I've always used $too or just $...
the .js is fantastic. I typically use an m-dash followed by my first name.
–Brian
I always use the formal method of finishing an email. Maybe I will try out a shortened version.
~ A
I usually end my e-mail with.
jfc iii
I would stick with the .js Not only is it awesome, but it is also humorous in a smart kinda way. I like the "smirk" as well but I would stick with the .js it's just so much more.
My opinion though...
I think I may have to borrow your idea since I'm pretty much in the same situation :)
I've tried to end my emails with my initials, but those are (quite unfortunately) "PS", which tends to make people look for MORE information instead of seeing that as an email ending.
For me it's a simple
b.
When emailing someone I've emailed a lot before, I just don't bother signing. We don't sign IM's, or text messages. I'm pretty sure this person will know it was from me, what with the From header being my e-mail address.
I just write really short emails, so you don't even have t scroll to see the end.
You don't think too much :) But you do seem bored.
If -j is too negative, why not go all the way to positive, with +j?
I usually use after the first, formal conversation(s).
J
but now you've made me rethink all that.
~jh.
may have to be the new moniker, but it's a little relaxed for australia...
...and there's the possibility of coming across as a pretentious idiot.
i'd suggest ".js" to you.
My buddy uses a tilde and first initial. The one thing I always use is the interpunct. Thus my informal sign off is;
· jake
I used to use the tilde (~) but I created a similar toung-in-cheek signature a few months back:
With a longer version that contains my contact info as "attributes". :)
I usually ends my mails like
--
Nishad
I've been doing this -J. Occassionally I do this [-_o]b