Joke is Not a Joke?

A site visitor writes:

I hit "reply" to an email in which I should have "forwarded" to another individual. The reply wasn't negative in connotation but it did refer to the sender in a joking manner (to me, anyway) as a "damn Yankee". I realized immediately that I did not hit "forward" as intended but "reply". How do I apologize to this person? Would it be better to wait and see if they bring it up? This person is a customer, who lives in another state and tends to make comments to me about my southern drawl from time to time, also in a joking manner.

I guess it all depends on how that term was used and if there was anything in the e-mail that would warrant an apology. Since I didn't see the e-mail, nor do I know the personalities involved, only you would know if that is the case (listen to your gut--it is always right). If it was in a fun and joking manner, and the person you are concerned about has a sense of humor, it shouldn't be a problem.

I don't think it will be an issue because you seem to have a standing geographical ribbing going on with this customer. If they do respond, you then reply accordingly and based on their tone you'll know what to do.