Humor is extremely difficult to convey in writing because you do not have "the same body language "softeners" (a twinkle in the eye, a smile, a shrug of the shoulders) that provide interpretation clues in face-to-face conversations. That's why comedy writers earn big bucks. Either be sure your humorworks, use the typical sidewayssmileyface as a label, or don't try your wit at all.
Neither is sarcasm any more acceptable in e-mail than in face-to-face communication. Sending off a scathing attack with some disclaimer about how "the humor-impaired should skip this message" does not rule out offense and mitigate the criticism. In short, don't write anything in e-mail that you wouldn't want forwarded to your CEO, your customers, your family, or your friends.
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