Punctuation Question (Business Letter Salutation)

[Sazoo]

My bosses are in disagreement about the proper punctuation to use in a business letter salutation when the letter is addressed to someone you know well and are on a first-name basis with. I've found several different suggestions online and I'm wondering which is correct. Or most correct...or at least accepbable. :)

Suggestions? Here are some options:

Dear John, (one boss says "Always use a comma when addressing a letter to a first name")

Dear John: (other boss says "Always use a colon in a business letter")

Dear Mr. John Smith:

Dear Mr. John Smith,

Dear John Smith:

Dear John Smith,

John,

John: (my old boss always told me "Never use 'Dear' in a business letter" so he would have done it like this)

Mr. John Smith:

Mr. John Smith,

ETA - Links or references to official guidelines on this issue are appreciated - my bosses will probably not be satisfied with "the people on my online message board say to do it this way" ;)

[attorneymom]

When I'm doing a business letter in the situation you describe, I use "Dear John:" The comma is [B]too[B] informal, IMO.

I've also seen the use of the "Dear lastname" with the last name crossed off in ink and the first name handwritten in.

FWIW, I've never sent a business letter, even one that is not particularly friendly, without using "Dear" first.

[Reenie]

Always use a colon, even if addressing someone you know well by first name.

You can show them this online source: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/653/01/

And I know for a fact (because I use them with my students) that Writers Inc. (http://www.amazon.com/Writers-Inc-Student-Handbook-Learning/dp/0669529958/ref=pd_bbs_sr_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1211511841&sr=8-2) and Warriner's (http://www.amazon.com/English-Composition-Grammar-Complete-Course/dp/0153117362/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1211511928&sr=1-1) also back up that a colon should always be used in the salutation of a business letter.

ETA: if you know the person, it is acceptable to use the first name. But also, always, always use "Dear." In the case that you are talking about, it would probably be most appropriate to write "Dear John:"

[Sazoo]

Thanks for the feedback! :) Reenie, I found that Purdue website yesterday afternoon and was planning to forward it to my bosses to read. I'll let them know about Writers Inc. and Warriner's, too.

Attorneymom, my boss who is in favor of using the colon told me the same thing, about how it is accepted to type in the last name and then cross it out and handwrite in the first name. Seems to me that it would look odd, but I guess it's how some do it.

In my research of this issue yesterday afternoon I came across a business letter format that does not use ANY punctuation after the salutation or the closing. That looks REALLY wrong to me...but I guess it's not improper, technically.