[julienl]

Good point about the short reply. Also sometimes just saying "we're in the middle of X" is enough to keep in sync so you don't have to go back through everything that happened.

Also I wanted to share another tip, if it is possible (bandwidth, etc.) I now do more and more "video emails" where I record myself with my ipod then put the video on some FTP server or other file sharing system. It is much more natural to talk and ramble a little, and you can nuance what you say more easily with your facial expression and gestures (as we all know emails can come across in a different way that we intended!). It feels much easier often that writing an email and people usually find it more interesting to watch as well, especially if you live far away and don't see each other so often.

Also, I try to keep my emails about 1 topic with some people, where we talk about so many things that it can be overwhelming. This way, "idea in --> idea out" when it is short ("have you listen to this album? it's great!" is sometimes all I have to say about a topic and then it doesn't clutter my mind or inbox or OF).