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Ten tips for sending the perfect love email

The days of sharing love letters, written laboriously with a feather quill pen and sent painstakingly by post, are long gone.

But, in the fast-paced and technological world we live in, sending an email is a pretty good alternative. It sure beats sending a text or Tweet, anyway.

If you're planning to send your loved-one a special email, here's a few do's and don't you might want to consider…

Don't:

1. Send an email when drunk
Making margarita or beer-induced communication post-happy hour may work against you, especially when trying to score a love interest. Alcohol may give you Dutch courage to say what you truly feel inside, but you're unlikely to get away with sending properly spelt and emails while typing sweet nothings in a drunken stupor.

Oh the humiliation of waking up the next morning and seeing this on your sent mail: "Hye Micjhelle, i thihnk I saw you at the library. i don't know ,maybe it wasn"t you. Anywa...y I'm rrally sorry abotu that itme I started hitting on your mum. Ya, that was stupid. anyway... I was thimking about yiu the other day. Anyway, I should geeeet going, so... Love, Alex."

2. 'Cc someone else
In the modern world, anything can go wrong with just one click of a button. Before sending your email, make sure that you haven't accidentally cc'd a family member or an ex-girlfriend/boyfriend.

With automated email address generators, it's easy for an email to end up in an unintended recipient's inbox — your boss for example.

[Relevant: How technology can ruin your love life]

3. Copy and paste from other love emails
So you're a hotshot with the opposite sex and want to save some time by copying and pasting your signature pick-up lines in your e-flirts to those you've got on the go. Well here's a little word of advice, Casanova - check thoroughly before hitting the send button.

Your lover is more than likely to get suspicious when he/she receives: "Can't wait to see the light twinkle in your pretty brown eyes again", when they are in fact blue. Once you click send, emails are as quick as cupid's arrow and recalling them usually doesn't work.

4. Start or end your email with a disclaimer
Whether you're using your love email to ask someone out on a date or declaring your love to that someone special, confidence is the key ingredient in creating the perfect love email. Never begin with negativity as you are giving the other person a good reason to say no before you've even put the wheels in motion.

It's possible to show a little insecurity when communicating through technology, but there's no need to discredit yourself with: "I know you are going to say no, but…" or "I know I am not what you're looking for." Why are you contacting them in the first place, wuss?

5. Overdo it with the compliments
Shower your loved one with compliments which are appropriate and are less likely to give the wrong impression.

Avoid the overused cheesy chat-up lines and clichés too. You risk not getting a response with: "Is your father a thief? Because someone stole the stars from the sky and put them in your eye."

If you're struggling with some of the above, here are five do's thrown in to sweep a significant other off their feet…

Do:

1. Use the little extras to express how you feel
The beauty of using email to express your innermost feelings is that you can add a lot of emphasis to words on a page by using extra links, emoticons and attachments. With Internet technology, anything is possible.

Why not send him/her a song you both liked together along as an audio attachment, or a song that reminds you of them in an email?

2. Read love letters for inspiration
Aside from the words that come from the heart, the Internet and classic literature is a great source for romantic inspiration.

Think of the movie 'Sex and the City' when leading lady Carrie Bradshaw receives a string of Mr Big's love emails inspired by imaginary book 'Love Letters of Great Men'. Luckily for Big, the electronic love letters made Carrie fall right back into his arms even after he ditched her at the altar.

3. Choose a good subject line
Grab your lover's attention by choosing an eye-catching subject line for your love email.

[See also: The brand new Yahoo! Mail]

Spark their interest by being more personal. Mention their first name accompanied by something you have in common with him/ her or a random fact about them or yourself. An email subject line that has worked in the past was "Hey, did you know that your birthday is the day before mine?" They may think it's random, but it will surely get them to open an email.

4. Be short and sweet

Listen up ladies, if you're going to type an email to the man of your dreams and planning on typing a thousand lines on an email of why they make your legs like jelly, think again.

According to Hallmark, the master of romantic greetings cards, brevity is the secret to telling a man you love them. Hallmark said: "Men have economical attention spans, even for descriptions of their greatness."

5. Use humour

Having a good sense of humour is one of the most attractive features in a person.

Recalling the funny times you spent together will also guarantee them to crack a smile. And jokes, as long as they aren't cringe- worthy, are also great ice breakers, especially when contacting a potential suitor for the first time.

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