thoughts about my final project

I am still working on ideas for my final project. One possible question I have come up with is does online chat provide an environment that allows more creativity with the language than face to face conversation. I chose this because I was wondering if students would feel more comfortable typing their conversation, and therefore not feel as nervous about speaking. Is it possible that they are less hindered when it comes to chatting rather than speaking. Also, do they make less errors as time goes on because they can see what they are typing and can self correct before they enter the text. I think that I would find this to be true, the students will be willing to take more risks and play with the language more than they would in a face to face situation.
Another possible topic could deal with e-mail. Not 100% sure what exactly--I would like to explore the advantages of using e-mail to gain insight into another culture. I think pen pals through e-mail are great ideas for foreign language classes. It is a great way to have the students communicate with someone they never would have normally and to use the target language.