Is "Dear" Dead?

I only use it, when writing letter to family and friends, never in business or formal correspondence.
I dunno, I always found it funny, to call my doctor "dear", or my cable company "dear" etc (unless i really felt that way).

I've always thought it was weird for business and formal type letters to use "dear" in the first place. It seems way to familiar for that kind of thing, and really not always all that appropriate for the content of the letter. Like if I am writing a supplier or a customer, "dear" seems a little too chummy, that feels more like it belongs for just friends and family. I appreciate my customers greatly, but "dear" sounds too affectionate and personal. And if I'm writing a company to complain about something, it feels weird to start with "dear" then unleash a torrent of negative stuff. I don't know the person reading it, so they're not really dear to me, and "dear" followed by something not so loving feels dishonest. I also don't really like it when it doesn't fit when I'm the recipient. If someone is just trying to sell me something and they're a stranger, I don't like to be addressed as "dear". You don't know me. Just a greeting or even just my name is fine. I'm glad to see it start to fade from popular use for everyone all the time.

I don't tend to use it anymore even when I'm writing nice stuff to folks that are dear to me,though. When correspondence and communication was fewer and farther between it made better sense to start every letter with a sweet greeting. Like when I was growing up and my family across the country only heard from me every few weeks, yeah,adding a "Dear Auntie and Uncle" at the start of every big letter made sense. But now that I see their feed on facebook and most of my letters to them that aren't things like wall posts are emails and they're quick, meant to be quick to read and quick to write. When they've heard from me the day before by phone or social network or email or whatever, we don't need the formal loving opening phrase. We can jump to the meat of that particular note.

I like to use 'Good morning Xxxx' or 'Good afternoon Xxxx' for semi-formal emails.

I use it in all work emails except when I also know the person well outside of work (when it's Hi..) I'd also use it on anything hand-written including postcards and birthday cards.

Nowadays my emails start with "Hey there, _____!"

I often write to companies asking for product info and never know if the individual receiving my letter/email is a man or a woman so I start all of my letters to them:

Dear Sir or Madam,

I use it on any formal business correspondence, whether it's email, snail mail or (on very rare occasions) faxed. Definitely on anything where I don't know the recipient well and pretty much always on the first contact with anyone.

I'm much less formal on anything to someone I have more of a relationship with or if I'm wanting the correspondence to seem less formal (Hi Joe, just letting you know...)

I can't bring myself to send emails without some sort of greeting, although I don't think it's generally considered as rude as I feel if I do it.

I still use Dear XXXX as a salutation and Sincerely, yours above the signature, but only on paper correspondence.

Emails and digital communications usually get a "Hi or Hello" if even that.

It would be a shame to lose the Dear salutation altogether. Who would want a "Hi John" letter?

I use "dear" for formal business letters and e-mails, as well as personal hand-written correspondence (which seems to be whittled down to birthday and holiday greetings anymore)

For informal business e-mails, I tend to use Good Morning or Good Afternoon, whereas quick replies garner a Hi ____.

i use it fairly often. i think bob greene might be using anecdotal evidence here. maybe nobody considers him dear.

I use it in love letters and formal business letters when the standardized style calls for it. But in normal work correspondence, such as when I'm writing emails to Alex, I don't. I wouldn't want Alex to think that I'm flirting with him.

I write it in Birthday and Christams cards.

I see it as a matter of formality. If I am writing a formal letter (which includes just about anything I'd send via postal mail), I'll include a formal salutation of "Dear " as well as a formal "Yours Sincerely" above my name at the bottom.

But that doesn't feel right for most emails, which are more structured around traditional "memos", with "To:" and "From:" at the top. I don't believe "Dear..." was standard on memos, and that carried over to electronic memos. "Dear ," feels stiff and redundant, as does the "Yours Sincerely" at the bottom.