Beware Hidden Readers

Instant messaging is equivalent to any other form of business correspondence and should be treated with equal care. Instant messages are business records subject to normal legal and regulatory rules for record retention and preservation. Consequently, the message you send today could return to haunt your organization in the form of evidence in a lawsuit or in headline-making news, to name two content-related risks.

Real-Life E-Disaster Story:
Can Your Company or Industry Afford a High-Profile Instant Messaging Gaffe?

Ask yourself, ‘‘How would I feel if this message appeared on the front page of a newspaper?’’

Two senior executives of Merrill Lynch experienced the sting of negative publicity firsthand when an e-mail message in which they posed the question above to caution 50,000 employees to be mindful of e-mail content was covered by the national business media. ^[11]

When drafting instant messages, think not only about your intended reader, but also about unintended or hidden readers. You never know when a disgruntled employee or vengeful ex-employee will share a message intended for your reader’s eyes only with the media or other outsiders.

^[11]Nicholas Varchaver, ‘‘The Perils of E-Mail,’’ Fortune ( February 17, 2003), 96.