Labs Spotlight: Attachment Reminder

Google Labs is a breeding ground for new ideas that need to be put to the test. Google does a great job of testing new products they think will make our lives easier, more efficient, or just more fun. They make it a new toy, stick it in Labs, and let us play. If we like it, we send them feedback and tell them so. If we hate it, everybody lets them know. When Google decides that we simply cannot live without whatever tool they have cooked up, they make it official by moving it out of labs into the general population of gadgets.

Otherwise, nails are driven into the digital coffin, and the gadget is forever done away with.

Our first installment of Labs Product Highlights is going to look at the attachment reminder, or what Google calls the "Forgotten Attachment Detector".

This handy little gadget aims to prevent you from going on and on about how cool what the document you are getting ready to attach is, and then smacking the Send button without actually attaching the file. I can't convey how many times this happens to me, or how many times I've groused at people who aren't around to defend themselves when they forgot to attach a document.

Here's how it works:

As best I can tell, you mention the word "attachment" anywhere in your email. If you forget to actually do the attaching, poof! A pop-up window alerts you that you're about to send that email without the attachment. Some might think it's a little Big Brother-ish, but I don't mind as long as I don't look like a fool when I'm emailing a client.

The only problem I see is that it really needs to key in on other forms of the word "attach" (e.g., attached, attaching, etc.). Currently, it doesn't work if, for example, you type "I've attached some photos..." instead of something involving the word "attachment" specifically. It is still under development, however, so hopefully we'll see that feature implemented soon.

So what do you think? How many times have you forgotten to send an attachment? Was it important or did your frat brothers not get to see some epic shaming of the first to pass out? Did it result in a miscommunication? If you are the type who often forgets to send attachments, this might be just one more helpful tool from Google. I wouldn't be surprised if it sneaks into all Google mail systems once its beta testing is complete.

Twitter and Google

Contrary to rumor, Google does not plan to buy Twitter. Well, at least not yet.

There may be a day when Google goes after Twitter's pink slip, but that isn't today. Today they are trying to capitalize on the massive and growing network that is Twitter.

Here is the skinny:
If you advertise on Twitter via Google, your Tweets will be pushed into the AdSense program. AdSense is the advertising program that allows website publishers to generate ad revenue by placing Google ads on their websites. The ads appear around content related to the subject of the ad. For example, if you visit a website that uses AdSense and read an article about shoes, you might see an ad for Zappos.com on the same page as the shoe article.

Google's plan for Twitter would publish advertisers' Twitter posts (or "tweets") as part of AdSense. This is not necessarily a way to increase direct sales. Rather, it works sort of like a blog.

When you write a blog entry for your website, there is of course the ever present goal of SEO (search engine optimization). However, a blog also allows readers to associate a friendly face with whatever is being promoted. Someone is out there talking to YOU!

Creating a Twitter account for your company is much the same idea. It will promote a very friendly atmosphere and give your followers (i.e., your customers and potential customers) a sense of fellowship with your company. It also offers the added advantage being on the "cutting edge" of what's going on with your business. It can ultimately be a very important news feed.

The best way to keep a person's attention is to stay in their line of sight. With Twitter, you essentially are tapping into a free means of contacting your customers FOR FREE all the time.

Let's say there is a corner gas station that has someone tech savvy enough to tweet about his day while at work. Said employee may actually have a fun story line going on his daily tweets about funny little things that go on when people win 1 dollar on their 15th $1 lotto ticket, etc.

This employee has no new material for his lunch break tweet so he decides tweet, "Free hot dog with a tank of case during lunch hours". Technically our employee isn't lying. Sure you can get a free hot dog during lunch hours if you fill up with gas. But the deal isn't new. They always offer that special. However, he is putting it in front of people again. He is stepping into people's line of sight. That day, sales are very likely to increase on gas during lunch hour. When people come in to get their free tube steak they are probably going to grab a ice cold diet coke to wash it down, maybe even a pack of gum to ward off the onion breath.

Not only that, but Twitter users like to share information with friends, often through "retweeting," i.e. republishing another user's post in order to share the information with others. Not only will the gas station gain business from their Twitter followers, they're also likely to be visited by the friends of their followers as well.

Although the delivery mechanism is new, the basic concept is Marketing 101: Stay in front of the customer. Even if you aren't directly promoting a sale or other incentive, just tweeting about your day-to-day business keeps you in your customers' minds. When they need what you have to offer, it's more likely that your company will be the first that springs to mind.

Twitter it. Stay in front of the customer, stay informed, and do it with Google.