Those messages come from a new digital way for colleagues to notify you anonymously that you have strayed into the realm of really annoying co-worker.
The approach comes from a Web site, NiceCritic.com, that launched July 4 and from which you can send messages that are untraceable. It's a "polite way of communication ... meant to facilitate constructive criticism of someone's actions, appearance, or behavior; and is both helpful to the recipient and cathartic for the sender," said Erik Riesenberg, 38, marketing director for a Manhattan publishing house that developed the site.
While it's not the only site of its kind, Riesenberg strives to keep its language polite and as non-offensive as a British butler, he said. It also allows you to send anonymous praise.
Among the most popular critiques, he said, are: "Your personal conversations can be heard very clearly," "A breath mint would be beneficial today" and "Your perfume/cologne is very strong on a regular basis."
How did Riesenberg get the idea? "Two words," he said: "nose hair." Several years ago when he and colleagues had gone out for drinks, a friend told him he really needed to trim his nose hair. The notion of how hard it is for people to share such intimate advice stuck with him.
