Thanks for the reply. I also found another post here (don't know where it is now) that also set me straight.
First, the MESSAGES button only appears on other user's profile pages -it will not appear for you on your own profile page, but will appear for other people who visit your profile page.
Second, one may edit the MENU tab to make a custom EMAIL button (or anything else for that matter). That way, everyone will have an Email link/button when they visit their own personal profile page.
I'm in the same boat, did you add the uddeIM to the "Menu" tab subheading? Is there a way to create a new tab at the top called email and link it that way? I'd like the email area to be more prominent.