I'm not suggesting that you get a Twitter account. I'm not suggesting that you create a relationship with Twitter, the corporation. And I'm certainly not suggesting that you attempt to create a new relationship using Twitter. I am however, trying to point out that creating a relationship through email is ridiculous. At least for the generation of workers that you and I belong to. I dare not predict the future of how we'll communicate in the future, for I'm certain to be wrong.

I find trying to create a relationship via email just as absurd as the title and opening of this message to you. We can make an introduction of two or more people via email. We can even introduce ourselves or our product or service via email and build on an existing relationship via email; I'm not buying that we can create a relationship that way. Email works for initiating, but not creating. There's a difference, a mighty chasm if you think about it, between initiating and creating when it comes to relationships.  

Just consider a couple of commonly held definitions for each:

Initiate - to begin, set going, or originate; to cause a process or action to begin.

Create - to cause into being something unique that would not naturally occur; to bring into existence.

Relationships are initiated and then created. The creation part  requires repeated interactions and while there's no doubt there's value to relationships that exist by necessity via email, they aren't strong. We all know of groups within companies where people have never seen each other and all communication is via email and phone and they work okay. Not great, but given the circumstances they get the job done. But when we stop to consider the findings of Professor Albert Mehrabian, who pioneered the understanding of communications of feelings and attitudes since the 1970s, which taught us that words alone represent only 7% of effective communication and tonality along with body language make up the balance, things become clear. While email is a great time saver once you have a relationship, it will do little to get you a relationship.