Well, from one of the Big Huggers out there...I'm most guilty of the "sweetie, hon, darlin'" etc.
Most of it comes from two sources...
One--I can't remember names to save my life--and "sweetie" seems to fit most. LOL
and Two--I've worked for years in Customer Service and most everyone appreciates being flattered. The best thing about flattery though--even if they KNOW you're doing it, it still works. LOL
I'm good at what I do, I know my job, my niches, and people. I also happen to be one of those people that like to laugh. Many times I'm not taken seriously, or people think that I don't know what I'm talking about at first glance...however they are mistaken. Sure, I'm not a know-it-all, and being a non-technical person in the land of geeks can be problematic...but it takes a lot more than book skills to run a business. My strengths happen to lie in the creativity and the envisioning. I don't know HTML, but I know people.
Do I think that I use the "Huggs" and "kisses" too much--yeah, I probably do. However, in the absense of body language, sometimes it's all we have.
Besides, we run our own business here, and I'm determined to be myself while doing it.
HUGGS!!!
Lady Sharlot :-)