Helpful System
. . . when people are trying to communicate with each other they don't want to appear stupid.
* * *There's an old saying: To err is human but it takes a computer to really screw up!
It is very easy to make mistakes, but with a computer we can all to easily embarrass ourselves before a wide audience. How many times have you seen a message sent to a mailing list that was clearly intended to be a private message to one individual? Whoops, someone did a "reply to all" that included the full mailing list. Or someone sends out a message that is clearly not appropriate for the mailing list it is sent to? Or someone is angered by a message and sends off a quick retort that they later might regret?
The Eudora email client has several ways that it tries to be helpful including highlighting misspelled words automatically, warning if a message has no subject specified, or flagging messages that use aggressive, demeaning or rude language in any email you are writing with one to three chili peppers. Both the spell checking and the flame alerting are done by discreetly annotating the message---the user is not interrupted and can choose to ignore the warning.
Therefore,
Anticipate ways that people will make mistakes and write computer programs so that they either correct or inform us in an appropriate way. Our computers should be helpful, and watch out for us. But remember that the person is ultimately in charge.
* * *In our correspondence with others, a ?GentleReminder can help us avoid appearing rude by not responding.
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