Google has announced a new feature in Gmail that is getting an amazing amount of media coverage world-wide. ABC News called it a breathalyzer to stop drunken emails with math in an article called Think Before You Drink and Draft. Here's an excerpt:
"You know you shouldn't do it, but that liquid courage convinces you otherwise and, soon enough, you've fired off a hasty e-mail to an ex, a co-worker or, worst of all, a boss.
Many a relationship has been prolonged -- and perhaps many a career has been cut short -- by the dreaded drunken e-mail."
At first, I thought this was a bad joke. Was Google trying to add some comic relief to our lives? Could this be an attempt to change the subject away from our 401Ks and our current Wall Street banking woes?
But I kept running into this story all week. Some on mainstreet are honestly thinking that this is some type of breakthrough. Even morning talk shows are offering demos on how hard the Google math is. The Internet has plenty of video interviews on this topic. One video from NBC San Diego can be seen here.
Personally, I find this topic to be beyond humorous. Is this really such a big problem? Will people really use this new feature? Perhaps I'm living on a different planet or not consuming enough alcohol, but are millions of cyber surfers really drunk?
OK, I'll try and offer some serious commentary on this new development.
The Problem: Sure, people send emails and instant messages in poor judgment. They hit the return button millions of times each day - only to regret the message later. We all need to stop and think before we click. Sometimes these messages are accidental and other times they are intentional but naive or unwise.
Most people occasionally use the Internet when they should go offline and talk in person. I've intervened in many email wars at work over the past decade between professionals sitting in back to back cubes. This happens even when people are sober.
The Good: People are finally confronting the fact that there are real-world consequences to their virtual actions. As I've said in several blogs, our virtual worlds and real world events are merging at home and work.
The Trend: Get ready for more technology tools and techniques to build trust online. We have a long way to go in this area. How can we connect our offlines values with our online world? How about a virtual conscience based on your professed values? More accountability must come with more social networking opportunites at work.
The Solution: What we need is cyber ethics for grown-ups. This involves people, processes and technology. Although technology can help (and more tools are coming), no Google or Microsoft tool will do this for you. We're talking about character and integrity in a cyberspace that resembles the Wild Wild West. I describe this trend and personal solutions in detail in my soon to be released book, Virtual Integrity.
One final thought, Google is very good at marketing and offering what customers want. Obviously, they did some market research before rolling this out. It clearly passed the "cool" or "daily buzz" litmus test. So how can we offer similar security tools that help overcome risk and also meet customer needs at work? There is a lesson in this (somewhere) for IT professionals.
Any ideas on how to make it cool to change your password? Now that would be a breakthrough.