It has been my understanding that the category of things that are boilerplate does not include 'prefabricated email messages'. Boilerplate is a metaphorical category that refers specifically to the legal/professional language, citations, and related frameworks that 'protect' a specific message, document, etc. It is something that is included to fit into certain norms required by a certain regime. Some professors include the boilerplate "the content in this message does not reflect the opinion of my institution', similarly some doctors include something like this boilerplate in their email, 'advice given in email does not constitute my medical opinion, which can only be had from an office visit'. Similarly government officials, lawyers, teachers, etc. etc. all may include boilerplate statements in their documents. Jokes, Sayings, Cute messages are forms of chain letters, through usually without the explicit threats of traditional chain mail. I suspect these function much the same way that chit-chat does, they provide presence and maintain weak ties. On Oct 29, 2007, at 7:51 AM, julie dare wrote:

Hi

Can anyone advise of research or references on the social use of 'boilerplate' or prefabricated email messages - the messages containing jokes, sayings, cute messages etc. (not spam) that get forwarded on from person to person. The only direct reference I can find is the Boneva and Kraut article, Using e-mail for personal relationships: The difference gender makes, in The American Behavioral Scientist, November 2001.

Many thanks

Julie Dare

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