There are few things in this world that can inspire sheer panic like public humiliation. That being said, one of the most productive goldmines for the aforementioned public humiliation is the office. The office-the workplace, the bastion of modern business-can be a field full of landmines, just waiting for some hapless individual to step on a claymore full of professional mortification.

The office is rife with hidden booby traps, one of the most prevalent being that of the dreaded "Reply All" button so innocently located next to the "Reply" button on all outgoing email messages. This little trickster lays in wait, biding its time until the perfect email comes through. So your boss, the prestigious Mr. Jones, needs a reminder of his password to verify some information regarding a new employee? Well, now the whole company knows his password, not just Mr. Jones. Smooth.

In the same arsenal of email sabotage rests the Address Book. Now, most email programs are so darn helpful that they'll finish a name for you once you start typing it in the "To" box. Isn't that nice of them? Beware this convenience! Handy as it is, the potential for disaster lurks just around the corner. Just this morning, for instance, you happened to notice that Dave Brown left the men's room with a rather impressive streamer of tissue stuck to his shoe. You managed not to laugh out loud at the time, but you've been dying to tell Sally Browne about it all day. Remember that reading is fundamental, and you might understand why Sally doesn't get the joke and Dave is giving you nasty looks on the way to his car after work.

While email is one of the most common, it certainly isn't the only prankster waiting to jump out and ambush your dignity. Complex phone systems and an ever growing mindfulness of quality assurance provides a brand-new clothesline for the airing of your unmentionables. You were probably excited about the special evening your significant other had planned for you, and hearing the details in the middle of a dull work day definitely brightened your day. However, the private counseling session that you now have to attend to re-assess your moral fiber is probably less exciting, as is the lecture you received regarding proper use of the company phone system. It probably could have been avoided if you'd (A) remembered that the VOIP phone system records all incoming calls, or (B) waited until lunch and used your cell phone.

Web surfing provides its own array of deadfalls and potential missteps. While innocently (or maybe not) shopping around for a Valentine's Day gift for your previously mentioned honey-bunny, you happened to click on a link that offered some promising-looking deals. Before you could stop it, your screen was full of pop-up windows that contained images that were most certainly not appropriate for the workplace. Worse yet, that innocent little link you clicked on opened the door for a nasty little computer virus that required a lot of explaining on your part when the IT specialist showed up.

It's important to keep in mind that not only is your dignity at stake in situations like these, but these inadvertent mishaps can lead to bigger problems with security and privacy. Confidential information can be inadvertently distributed or malicious software can be given an open door into your company's network. Remaining wary and aware can not only save yourself some trouble (and humiliation), but can help protect your company's virtual defenses as well.