7/7     In a email, what difference is conveyed between "Hi Peter and "Dear
        Peter"?  Is the former really considered less formal and less polite?
        \_ Yes.
           \_ Less formal certainly, but less polite depends on the context.
        \_ If you're writing to a loved one (a situation for "dear")
           then do it in a letter.  Email is casual/business use, where "Peter"
           or "Hi Peter," does fine.
           \_ No one writes 'dear' to a loved one as a greeting. -- ilyas
              \_ Dear Ilya,
                 Tell us about the stars!
                 Love,
                 Joseph Stalin
                 Kaiser Wilhelm
                 \_ I call Godwin!
                    \_ Only applies to German tyrants.
                 \_ Now that was a funny edit.
              \_ Dear Ilyas,
                 I love you
                 Ilyas #1 fan
              \_ I use "dear" writing to my grandmother
        \_ Dear doesn't belong in email. If the letter is formal enough to
           demand a "Dear", then maybe it shouldn't be sent in email?
           \_ Exactly.  I think email should be used like a memo.  Offtopic:
              am I the only one who cringes when ppl say "emails"?
              \_ By "used like a memo" do you mean content free corporate
                 buzzword horseshit?
              \_ no, unless used as a verb in the correct tense.