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GMail - Hullo Chaps

Stephen Tordoff [PersonRank 10]

Saturday, December 15, 2007
16 years ago7,633 views

Anyone else getting this:

http://img256.imageshack.us/img256/8682/gmaildt5.png

Strangely, it still stays "Welcome to Google Mail" in the source, "Hullo Chaps" doesn't appear anywhere

Stephen Tordoff [PersonRank 10]

16 years ago #

Just noticed that this only occurs in IE

Hef [PersonRank 1]

16 years ago #

I saw it in Firefox yesterday. Given that the wording seems an odd choice for the greeting message, and has only appeared intermittently, it is presumably the work of an junior employee mucking about. And if junior employees are able to edit such an important page, what else do they have access to? Our mail?

Stephen Tordoff [PersonRank 10]

16 years ago #

Just had a thought, could be a mistake by a non-junior employee. They may have been trying to edit an internal / test version of the page, finding out what parts of the source do, and accidently changed the live version.

Stuff like this is bound to happen sometime

hebbet [PersonRank 10]

16 years ago #

Just some weeks ago Gmail was renamed http://googlified.com/2007gmail-email-from-google/

Haochi [PersonRank 10]

16 years ago #

This thread on Google Mail Problem Solving Group shows that the "Hullo Chaps" message has been around since at least last month: http://groups.google.com/group/google-mail-problem-solving-uk/browse_thread/thread/ece695f91ae7081b

I would love to see a different greeting messages, like those on Flickr ("Now you know how to greet people in *!"), every time I log into Gmail.

Sankar anand [PersonRank 10]

16 years ago #

hullo chaps means ? translate plz!

James Xuan [PersonRank 10]

16 years ago #

Well since it's Google Mail (Assuming UK version) this is a stereotypical greeting of upper class english folk

"Hullo" Is just how "Hello" is pronounced by these allged people-and chaps, is slang for people/men, amongst their class of people... so... that's my guess...

Stephen Tordoff [PersonRank 10]

16 years ago #

James,
That 'translation' is pretty much spot on

Ian [PersonRank 0]

16 years ago #

This is almost certainly an internal Google hack and the perpetrator needs to be hunted down by Google fast as the perpetrator is exposing 'holes' in GMail's security.

When the 'hack' happens the page displays secure and non-secure items and it is my guess that the hacker is inserting this 'insecure' item at some point after the page is formed by Google.

The worry about this is that it may be used to colect GMail logins.

Martin Porcheron [PersonRank 10]

16 years ago #

[put at-character here]Ian

This is not a hack, Google has intentionally done this for UK users. I am also seeing the Login Box/Signup box switch randomly now (as previously reported).

I quite like the Hullo Chaps, it also makes up for the boring "Google Mail" name.

Sue [PersonRank 0]

16 years ago #

Well, if it's for UK users, why is it showing up for non-UK folk?

Philipp Lenssen [PersonRank 10]

16 years ago #

Here's Google official answer, I forwarded this thread to them:

<<Thanks for checking in on this – we've been using Website Optimizer (http://www.google.com/websiteoptimizer) to experiment with different variations of the Gmail homepage. Some members of our UK team suggested that a fun way to give a local feel to the Google Mail (UK) homepage would be to welcome visitors to the page with the phrase "Hullo Chaps," so we've been testing that out.>>

James Xuan [PersonRank 10]

16 years ago #

<<...we've been using Website Optimizer (google.com/websiteoptimizer) to experiment...>>

What a plug! :D

Stephen Tordoff [PersonRank 10]

16 years ago #

Thanks Philipp, I also emailed them but got no responce. The advantages of being well known / connected I suppose

Philipp Lenssen [PersonRank 10]

16 years ago #

Where did you send your question to, and when?

Sue [PersonRank 0]

16 years ago #

how do they explain the 'hullo chaps' to those of us not using the UK version?

(-:

Roddy [PersonRank 0]

16 years ago #

Yeah I am in Argentina and I get 'Hullo Chaps' as well hahah, but I think that is because I use the UK English version of GMail, just because I hate how Americans spell things.
Mind you though, it is quite funny, and I did understand that it was a joke when I first noticed it. I guess the fact that I'm an 'Allo 'Allo fan helps.
Pip pip chaps!

Motti [PersonRank 10]

16 years ago #

I'm a UK user but I don't get it probably because I keep my language set to US English so that I get all the new features first :)

[ Typing correction – David]

Martin Porcheron [PersonRank 10]

16 years ago #

<<I'm a UK user but I don't get it probably because I keep my language set to US English so that I get all the new features first :)>>

It seemed to be random whether you got it or not. I haven't seen the phrase in a while though, I doubt it was that effective. I think further customisation for different countries might be nice though (as in, actual major changes).

Motti [PersonRank 10]

16 years ago #

Do any other UK users get their Trash called 'Bin'? Not noticed that before?

[Typos corrected as requested – Tony]

Ianf [PersonRank 10]

16 years ago #

I'm not in the UK, but Stockholm, Sweden, and I use chiefly the Basic HTML view of Gmail [w/ English default language] on a PDA (not the mobile view), but I noted that in the last few days the --what I remember as being called-- "Trash" label changed first to "Deleted Items," and then=now "Bin". In addition to that I think that trash-emptying confirmation command dialog spoke of "Wastebasket," an American term I don't recall seeing there before. Apparently, the Labelling Powers That Be[tm] @Google have been temporarily hijacked by some Politically-Correct-Trash brigade!

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