To dot or to dash?

Americans have long used dashes to separate phone numbers while Europeans have tended more toward the use of dots. I remember the first time I really noticed the use of dots (as in 800.555.1212 as opposed to 800-555-1212) in America. It was the summer of 2000 and one of my new co-workers insisted on using them. At first, I resisted. Soon I found myself using them as well. They are quicker to type than dashes and more visually appealing. When I started my own business venture later that year, I incorporated dots into the graphic identity and banished dashes. Now, five years hence, others have noticed the trend:

Globalization spreads to punctuation, as dots replace dashes in phone numbers.