across the wire

Ever had one of "those" days when nothing seems to please you, every one is out to spite you, and you are filled with disdain towards everyone and every thing?

Email has made changed the face of communication, however, I am yet to be convinced that it is the most accurate form of communicating personal conversations. Facts, figures, dates and times are all easily transmitted by email text but when communicating our emotions, reactions, dreams and hopes the message often is misunderstood.

Especially on one of "those" days. Not only do I misinterpret what others are trying to say to me, I often inject my own mood into their message. If I am having a bad day, the words of others are laden with sarcastic tones and cutting remarks. This does not only happen with negative emotions, but positive ones as well. When I feel joyful, I tend to glaze over the writer's message that does not match my mood. Years ago, I had sent and email, not being fully aware of the miscommunication that can happen, I thought that I would stress or highlight the important content of me email WITH ALL CAPITAL LETTERS. This was done totally without malice, but the response I got back was a angry "why are you yelling at me!?" Lesson learned (and perhaps that is why I still write all my emails with out a single capital letter).

It is hard to say what you really want to say over email, as so much meaning is lost when you eliminate tone, intonation, cadence and body language. I say good luck to the word in the age of the blackberry. For those of you out there who need a *little* help articulating what we really want to say in an email, check this out.

Does mood effect the way you perceive other people's intentions, whether through conversations, emails, letters etc? What are your stories with it? Any big slip ups?