With regards to interpreting the tone of an e-mail, Wired magazine reports
on a study in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology which states
that the typical user can guess the attitude of an e-mail only about 50% of
the time, though they *think* they are accurate about 90% of the time --
which leaves a pretty wide margin for error!  ;-)

http://www.wired.com/news/technology/0,70179-0.html?tw=wn_index_24

Meanwhile, psychologist Daniel Goleman has published an article on "cyber
dis-inhibition," the tendency (noted earlier) to speak more rudely / curtly
/ angrily in e-mail than one would normally in person.

http://www.edge.org/q2006/q06_5.html#goleman

Personally, I think encouraging people to search the archives first before
posing a question is not inherently a bad thing.

Eugene Dillenburg
Exhibit Developer
Science Museum of Minnesota

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