[snip]
>Also, there is quite a difference between relating the gist of some communication as necessary (or paraphrasing) on one hand, and quoting it verbatim on the other. Same as taping conversations or phone calls without prior warning, which in some countries is even prohibited by law. Quoting letters/email in public is a rather drastic step and considered extremely rude unless there is an overriding concern. I guess it's a cultural difference.

Bringing an email I sent to a friend to the public will indeed be quite an offensive act towards me. I'm not sure about an email I sent to someone who applied for a job in my shop. It's my feeling that it's not really in the private domain. Professional companies know this mechanism and it forces them to reply 'correctly' to applicants.

There were times that I somehow regretted not having taped certain bizness related phonecalls. Note that I still do not tape phone calls, and I'll also not gonna do it in the future. The reason is that I agree with you. It's simply not-done here in the Netherlands, at least in my circles.
But, be aware if someone replies to your email with the simple text "this is not a subject I want to discuss by email, give me a call", not so much because it's handier, but rather because what the other person wants to say will then not be registered.

ALL my bizness emails are ok for going public, in the sense that I always take care that I don't write things that could be compromising for me (I hope). You never know what the other party may do with it when the relationship worsens. Afterall, it is the internet decade and some simple googling ("stefan otto", "peter de valença") reveals much more than we 'dreamt' of 10 years ago.