Don't send that apology email!

Technology has gotten really good. A while back, Eudora mail launched a feature called MoodWatch, which, via a chili pepper rating, could prevent you from sending nasty emails to your colleagues. 1 chili pepper was probably offensive, 2 peppers - you were on a roll, and by the time you hit 3 peppers, you'd so crossed the line! The result was that sarcasm just got more common :-)

In the same vein, Google goggles ensure, by forcing you to solve 2+3=6, that you're not too drunk to send that late night email that you'll regret later. It'll help me from getting alzheimers as well, I think.

Here's a story from a colleague - he had a nasty exchange of emails with a co-worker (offensive and regrettable, since they were using neither Eudora, nor Tequila). He drafted an apology email just to calm things down, but did not hit send. The next day, at a meeting, the same issues were rehashed, and allegations made, resulting in my colleague coming to the conclusion that the apology was not warranted! Those offensive emails were all perfectly valid!!

That's what we should all do - have meetings before sending emails - then my inbox may actually be manageable.