Recomendations needed for a good way to keep group email communications clear and unmuddled, you know emails zooming back and forth, people messing up addresses, cross talking etc. If you were about to embark on a email conversation with five people with much back and forth, one fraught with high emotions and perhaps family type dynamics, how would you make this work? Would you set agreed upon ground rules and/or would you use a tech solution. Is there a excellent ( hopefully free) software solution to this problem?
posted by flummox on Oct 27, 2009 - 15 answers

What kinds of generic questions are good to use in social situations (groups, parties, etc) when there are awkward silences? [more inside]
posted by forza on Oct 22, 2009 - 21 answers

I want to build a web site where gamers can converse via video. I'm thinking of something a bit like a Seesmic targeted toward gamers. Where do I start? [more inside]
posted by raddevon on Sep 28, 2009 - 8 answers

[How] Should I tell my parents, now I'm a healthy adult, about my longstanding depression? [more inside]
posted by the agents of KAOS on Nov 27, 2008 - 31 answers

I just found out my landlord has been secretly taping our conversations. She uses a tape recorder hidden in her purse. The landlord is in the process of evicting another tenant of the building and has asked the court to bring in tapes of conversations as evidence. The judge gave her forms to fill out so she can get the tape recorder and tapes past security. [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Nov 9, 2008 - 21 answers

Novel Research Filter: Help me describe phone culture/ etiquette in the 70's prior to the advent of answering machines. [more inside]
posted by Xurando on Jan 13, 2008 - 16 answers

How do I end a conversation politely? [more inside]
posted by dersins on Sep 12, 2007 - 37 answers

I'm starting a new blog on a wide-ranging and ever-shifting set of topics, and I want to let my readers choose which of those topics to follow via RSS. I could offer tons of separate feeds, but many of these would be ephemeral, so I'd want to make it really easy to unsubscribe. Ideally, each user would get a single custom feed, the content of which they could control from my site (see here and here). Is there any way of doing this? [more inside]
posted by jsbww on Dec 17, 2005 - 10 answers

Gmail-like interface for my old emails? [more inside]
posted by bonaldi on Nov 28, 2005 - 13 answers

What are some of your favorite ways to say "hello" and "bye"? [more inside]
posted by Sharcho on Nov 9, 2005 - 55 answers

how do i deal with conversation topics i don't care about? [more inside]
posted by spiderwire on Oct 28, 2005 - 33 answers

When meeting new people, how do you avoid the interview-style boring questions? (How old are you? Where did you grow up? Do you work or study? ...) [more inside]
posted by Sharcho on Oct 12, 2005 - 32 answers

I'm teaching English conversation to my French colleagues, and I'm looking for fun ideas to help us have enjoyable, engaging conversations. These students range from intermediate to advanced. I've looked on some TEFL forums and gotten a few ideas, but I'd like to hear your suggestions as well. [more inside]
posted by hazyjane on Apr 21, 2005 - 5 answers

I'd like to be nicer to people. I'm generally anxious, socially awkward, and don't enunciate very well. I have trouble with spontaneous conversation and small talk, and get flustered by clumsy social encounters. As a result I've developed a reputation as aloof and unapproachable. What can I do to be a more pleasant person?
posted by anonymous on Dec 19, 2004 - 48 answers