Are you cuckoo? What your emailing style says about you

Most people have an email address these days and electronic mail has superseded letters and facsimiles as the primary method of written communication between individuals, particularly in business. However, the increased use of email in business has also resulted in the development of particular idiosyncratic patterns of emailing behaviour that can either delight or enrage. Researchers at the University of Glasgow and the University of the West of Scotland have examined these different behaviours and matched them to typical bird-like behaviours. Karen Renaud, senior lecturer in the School of Computing Science at the University of Glasgow, said: "Email has rapidly become a vital business communication tool and a lot of people we spoke to say they would not be able to do their jobs without it. "However, many people have gripes about email. Some people find themselves checking email all the time, even during evenings, weekends and holidays, others complain about how other people behave when using email. "When we analysed all the findings we realised we could categorise email behaviours and match them to the characteristics of some well-known birds." The researchers identified a total of 12 bird-like characteristics of email users, including: Compulsive Woodpecker: Can't resist reading email at all hours of the day and night.