New Gmail Feature Minimizes Risk Of Sending Messages To Exes, Frenemies

I’m a Gmail user. And I’m also in the unfortunate situation of having a father whose name begins with the letters D and A, an ex whose name also begins “Da,” and a friend who has the same name as the ex. As you probably know, in Gmail, as you begin typing the recipient’s name or email, an automated list appears, and, if you’re in a hurry, it’s easy to make the wrong selection. This has caused some embarrassing mix-ups wherein my father doesn’t understand why I’m counseling him on relationship advice; even worse, I’ve included my ex on an email invitation for my house party. Now Gmail has come out with a new feature called “Got the wrong Bob?” to help you out. The program monitors which groups of people you email often and makes suggestions if it seems like you’ve included the wrong person on the address list.

The downside is that the tool only works for group emails (but what do you bet the criticism against this will prompt a new feature?). Still, “Got the wrong Bob?” should cut down on embarrassing slip-ups. [Official Gmail Blog]