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The Handwriting Project attempts to bring more emotion to electronic communications. Below is the .sig file used with the project:

When we communicate by speaking, more than words are exchanged. Our intonations, body language and facial expressions constantly inform and adjust our conversation. This conversation metadata along with the actual content of the discussion comprise what we consider to be verbal communication. We don't notice all this other stuff going on, but we'd notice if it was missing.

These missing conversational components are where we currently stand with electronic communication such as email and IM. The evolution of sophisticated emoticons is a reaction to the limited emotional capacity of email and instant messaging. This limited "emotional capacity" can causes misunderstandings and stilted exchanges.

What i'm trying to do is bring some emotion back into email.

I'm doing this by hand writing all of my emails. This means there's more of a commitment on my part in composing the email and there is more emotion conveyed electronically. I've fallen out of the habit of hand writing but I think my handwriting, that is how I form actual letters and words, will have some emotional weight. I'm curious to find out how much. If you feel like you got something extra from my email by seeing it hand written instead of typed, drop me an email and let me know. I'm eager to get feedback and reactions.

I realize this will make my emails less functional. Emails coming from me will no longer be searchable and might require an attachment download (depending on your email client). I'm not going to do this for too long, just long enough to get a feel for the possibilities. If you can't read my chicken scratches let me know. I will make an exception and type your emails.

This experiment is inspired by Donald A. Norman. You can read the first chapter of his new book here.