Don't Send a Carrier Pigeon: IM Them Instead

As I've mentioned previously in this blog, sending an e-mail to anyone under 25 is like sending a carrier pigeon. They are all about the IM. Click here for an interesting insight from a College freshman about how he uses IM to communicate with his friends. It's formatted as a conversation with his grandmother who, umm, sounds a lot like many of us. A couple interesting insights:

Some Conventions in IM May Seem Rude to Traditionalists: Our young friend notes that not answering someone else's IM when you're busy, or even leaving a message that your not available is standard practice in the IM world. But traditionalists, especially those who think you have to answer the phone whenever it rings, might think it rude. If you're going to IM, it's important to understand the rules.

You Can Express Emotion While IM'ing: The grandmother type in the story seemed very concerned about not recognizing people's facial expressions. She notes that it's hard to tell how people really feel if you can't see their face or hear the tone in their voice. But with IM'ing shortcuts, such as emoticons and abbreviations, some expression is possible. Plus, as the author of the article notes, once you get to know someone's IM'ing style, you can tell their emotional state -- especially if there are changes. For example, a normally gregarious person who suddenly answers in one word answers might be down about something.

You Actually Have More Control Over IM Conversations Than the Telephone: This was an eye-opener for me. Personally, I hate the telephone. It's so insistent (and loud). Even if you don't answer it, your day is interrupted whenever it rings -- you might stop what you're doing to check messages or just check caller ID. With IM you know instantly who is trying to reach you and can make a decision about whether you have the time or inclination to chat with them. It's also not considered rude to put up an away message it you're working on another project or just don't want to chat.

IM'ing Facilitates Focus: Again, a really somewhat counter-intuitive idea, but our young friend notes that in having several conversations (and at least one major project) going on at once, IM'ing helps him make decisions about what to focus on. At one point he might decide to have a somewhat meaningful conversation with one of his friends, but if a main priority -- such as getting a paper done, or watching a favorite program on TV -- suffers, he can always tell them that he's "G2G" (got to go). In a sense, this format makes it easier for him to decide what and who should garner his attention at any given time.

Hmmm, using technology to figure out how to spend one's time and attention. Sounds like engagism to me!