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" I&amp;#039;m going to veer away from my usual product reviews and home improvement advice to address a point of contention in our digital age - proper etiquette. The line is becoming increasingly blurred between what is acceptable and what is not. What got me thinking about this was a traditional in-person invitation from my cousin Maddie to be in her bridal party. Not only did she take my sister and I out to dinner to &amp;quot;pop the question&amp;quot;, she also presented us with cute candles with chalkboard surfaces on the outside that she had inscribed with, &amp;quot;Will you be my bridesmaid?&amp;quot; And as if that wasn&amp;#039;t enough, she also wrote out thoughtful hand-written notes. Her gestures were so tasteful and such a throwback to decency that I was beyond moved and it made me wonder in what situations is it OK to go the digital route, and in which is it not?  Question: Is it OK for a guy to ask a girl out via text message?  My answer: Absolutely not! Maybe after the relationship&amp;#039;s been well established, but in the beginning, particularly for a first date, a guy should call a gal to ask her out. None of this SMS hogwash of, &amp;quot;You free Tuesday? Want to meet up for a drink at such and such?&amp;quot; When I do get asked out by text, I respond with another text along the lines of, &amp;quot;Sounds good, why don&amp;#039;t you call and we&amp;#039;ll figure it out.&amp;quot; This puts the ball back in the guy&amp;#039;s court and forces him to make the dreaded phone call. I don&amp;#039;t fault someone for sending a text message but I do like to set the tone early on as to how I like to conduct relationships. Question: If you&amp;#039;re trying to keep expenses down for a wedding, is it OK to send an electronic invitation? My answer: While I know money&amp;#039;s tight in this day and age, I think a wedding is still one event that warrants a proper invitation - by mail. I do confess that I love the wedding websites that organize all of your details including hotel reservations for guests, registry information, and honeymoon plans. Question: When do you call a game of phone tag over? My answer: If both parties have tried twice - it&amp;#039;s time to call it a draw and send an email! You can avoid playing phone tag altogether by avoiding calling during meal times or by leaving a detailed message that makes a call back unnecessary .  Question: You just left a job interview. What&amp;#039;s the proper way to follow-up? My answer: Cover all bases. Send an email the night or morning after the meeting. That way, if the interviewer is tech-savvy, he or she&amp;#039;s received a quick indication that you&amp;#039;re interested. But follow up with a hand-written note that reinforces that you&amp;#039;re seriously interested, are responsible, and have good business etiquette. Both thank you&amp;#039;s should include a personal touch, commenting on something (but not the exact same thing) that came up in the meeting. Bottom line: Send something! Question: When you get in a fight with a friend, do you email to make up or contact them? My answer: While email allows you to freely speak your mind and formulate all your thoughts, if anything&amp;#039;s misconstrued, there&amp;#039;s no way to correct it and there&amp;#039;s something to be said for the power of being there in the flesh. Making the time and effort to talk in person, shows your friend that you&amp;#039;re in the relationship, care about his or her opinion, and are open to discussing things. So that&amp;#039;s my two cents! I&amp;#039;d love to hear yours. For an expert&amp;#039;s opinion, check out our Peggy Post column in every issue of Good Housekeeping or visit our online catalogue, Peggy Post Etiquette. "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/institute/a23365/digital-etiquette/>