Google is officially putting the users of its Glass headset on notice with a set of do's and don'ts — not least among which is an unambiguous warning not to be "creepy or rude (aka, a "Gla**hole)."
This isn't the first guide to Glass etiquette — ours came out last May — but it is the first such document from Google. Other than basic tutorials and promotional materials, the company hadn't really weighed in on what you should and shouldn't be doing with the technology.
That's probably because it has been waiting to hear back from its many Glass Explorers, the first cohort of cyber-cyclops to wear the devices out in public. The do's and don'ts are assembled from this group's feedback.
Do use Glass voice commands to look up how many ounces are in a cup while your hands are covered in dough — but don't do that while on a date. Do wear Glass on your morning jog or bike commute — but don't wear it "water skiing, bull riding, or cage fighting."
And, of course, don't "be creepy or rude": "Respect others and if they have questions about Glass don't get snappy... In places where cell phone cameras aren't allowed, the same rules apply to Glass... Breaking the rules or being rude will not get businesses excited about Glass and will ruin it for other explorers."
Perhaps Google was inspired to publish the list by recent stories of Glass users being asked to leave Seattle bars or ambushed by federal agents in a movie theater. Apparently we still have a lot to learn.