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Google Talk do's and don'ts

Google Talk do's and don'ts

Tim Moynihan
The tech news of the day is most definitely the release of Google Talk, the search-engine behemoth's open-source, VoIP-enabled IM client.

Many of my coworkers in the CNET offices and I have been testing out Google Talk today. After a few hours of use, it's becoming evident that Google Talk, just like the cell phone, is a soon-to-be-ubiquitous technology that deserves its own set of etiquette rules. The following guidelines are a start.

DoDon't
Use Google Talk to save money on your phone bill.Use Google Talk as a hair-care product.
Wear a headset when you're using Google Talk in a public place or at the office.Leave your headset on when you're getting a hat-size measurement or showering.
Use Google Talk's open-source protocol to chat with GAIM, Trillian, and iChat users.Forget to use verbal emoticons ("I am smiling") and acronyms ("I am laughing out loud") while you're using Google Talk.
Position your computer's microphone so that you can speak at a normal volume when using Google Talk.Position your computer's microphone 12 feet underground and yell at it through a bullhorn.
Encourage the person you're talking to speak in a robot voice, as eavesdroppers will think you have a futuristic voice-enabled computer.Glue a laptop to the side of your head and use it as a Google Talk face mask.