»In which we collect the modern language

Describing email as "the first major upheaval in written English since the invention of the printing press", sociolinguists at The British Library are collecting common-or-garden email messages in an effort to document the evolution of our English language. The effort takes place with the coöperation of Microsoft's email system, New Hotmail (or something like that; the site is abysmal and I couldn't look at it for too long).
Aside from the changes in spelling (eliding non-leading vowels, omitting repeated consonants, such as "chng splng, avd grmmr corctns" -- a short-hand scheme my ninth-grade English teacher espoused), and increased use of acronyms, even for common phrases (AIUI for "as I understand it", IM[H]O for "in my [humble] opinon", et al.), the more subtle change in attitude is notable. I receive communication from a lawyer who immediately addresses me on a first-name basis, even though we are in a business relationship; similarly, each of the many messages bears the imprimatur of the email service provider or device ("Sent from my BlackBerry wireless handheld"). The decrease in formality intrigues me, as email breaks down barriers of society: anyone can easily write to anyone else.
One of the many spelling, grammer, and style exercises repeated in my grade-school lessons was to write a letter to my Congressman, my Senator, the President; we learned formal modes of address, penmanship, and style as well as the format of a proper letter. Salutations, closings, and post-scripts: all part of a concept disappearing.