However, chain e-mails do knot my knickers because someone I know has to deliberately send them to me. It’s not random. It takes thought and effort.
Just a word of caution; if you want me to "forward this to 10 friends" or sign a petition or to keep the chain going, you will be very disappointed because I will click the delete button on any and all of these e-mails. I don't care what the cause is. It might be something in which I truly believe. I simply don't trust whoever's at the end of the line to do the right thing with my signature, so I'm not going to bother.
Seeing the names of hundreds of strangers does not impress me. I will not take part. And if the e-mail contains a threat or a warning, such as, "so-and-so broke the chain and her husband died and she lost her house", I will think you're an idiot for sending it.
I loathed chain letters when they used to come by mail and I loathe them still, now that they're easier to send en masse. Whatever the superstition or emotional tug of the moment might be - please, leave me out of it.