The internet brings every piece of public domain information in the world to our fingertips. The expanse of the information is simply overwhelming. It is no longer a question of is what we seek there, but whether can we distill it from all the unwanted data. With the blazing speed of the internet, everything happens in a few keystrokes or a click of the mouse. Today’s extreme danger is that it has become all too casual, all too easy. But just as quickly, everything can go very wrong.

Firm’s reputation

Internal jokes are usually sent between employees by email. They are great things and have potential for team-building and boosting morale. But it only takes a slip of the keyboard or mouse, or attaching the wrong document to an email, for a joke to be sent out as an official communication from the firm.

A recent disaster may have occured in the lead-up to the annual Law Careers Fair 2007 held in Darling Harbour, Sydney. Each year, mid-tier to large law firms congregate in an exhibition hall and provide information about their practices and career opportunities to new graduates. Lawyers Weekly, the publisher of an authoritative law magazine, asked each law firm attending the Fair to complete a questionnaire. Most of the responses were expected or downright boring. But the answers given by Gadens Lawyers showed that they had an intention to make a refreshing approach…or did they? (extract below).

It appears to be a leaked internal joke, or the doing of a disgruntled employee. It could also have been an intended joke. In any case, more than one senior partner would be very unimpressed with the firm’s supposed statements which may lower its reputation.

Public outrage

In sorting through so much information, it is very possible that material gleaned from the internet is incorrect, or even worse, tainted. We are talking about more than viruses and trojans. You may be aware of NBC August 26 News’ coverage on Krispy Kreme’s new inadvertent slogan “So good, you’ll suck dick” (right). A video of the news story can be viewed here. In Australia, the content may have caused more outrage rather than amusement.

This mishap was supposedly the result of NBC News retrieving an image from Google and carelessly using it on prime television without noticing the tainted slogan.

Closing

Communications and information sharing may be blitzing fast today. By taking it casually and without the proper precautions, there are many accidents waiting to happen. “Look twice before you leap” - the old saying by Bronte, C (1816-1855) has even more relevance in today’s information age.