Instant messaging started out as a toy for me way back in 1996 when ICQ first launched. It quickly became more and more a part of my life. Now, I can’t imagine living without IM (instant messaging). I am constantly logged into MSN, AOL, Yahoo, Google Talk, and ICQ. I talk to people more over IM than I do over the phone (by a long shot). IRC and IM comprise the majority of my daily communication.
After using IM for 12 years, there are some basic IM concepts that I am so surprised that some people do not respect. The most common offense in the IM world is bogus “status”. IM status is a vital part of IM. If you are available or online, you set your status to that. If you are away you set your status to that. If you are working on something or are otherwise not available, you set your status to that. It’s not that hard. The online/available, away, and offline can happen automatically with any IM client out there. I am just amazed how many people ignore this courtesy to others by completely ignoring their IM status.
I have heard several reasons and none of them justify being rude to others by not giving them the courtesy of knowing your status. It has been a part of IM since day one. It makes a lot of sense to let people know what your status is so they know if they are leaving a message while you are away, interrupting something important, or to know if you are online and they can expect an answer/reply.
It’s not that hard. Let me break it down for you:
if you are ______, then your status should be ________
if you are online/available, then your status should be online/available
if you are away, then your status should be away
if you are not at the computer for a significant amount of time, then your status should be offline
some IM clients have idle, extended away, etc...
All I’m asking for is to know! It’s really not hard and it’s a common IM courtesy... have I mentioned that before?
I’m not targeting anyone specifically here, but you know who you are ;o) I know a few people that are flagrant offenders of ignoring IM status, but it is becoming more widespread.
I need to think of a good bumper sticker for this cause... Maybe this:
Be Nice, Go "away"
LOL
Okay, sorry - I had to get that rant out of my system. It's been slowly building up the last few months.
7 comments:
:P
I find it interesting that you think it is an issue of courtesy to let strangers know your "status".
Do you hang a "home / not home" sign on your front door?
I would agree with you and even encourage it, if I didn't have to actively set my status. I don't always know what my status is thus I can't always set it. If my computer could infer my status and report that I think we'd all be a bit happier. Until that day, though, I think you'll find most people don't set their status at all. It's just too much work to say what you are doing rather than just doing it.
Imagine my surprise that upon reading this rant I decide to check on your status only to find . . . you aren't online! But I thought you said, "I am constantly logged into MSN, AOL, Yahoo, Google Talk, and ICQ." Oh noes! The Internets are down!!!!!!1!!one!!!eleven!
dowaito:
I do not have any strangers on my contact list and only my contacts see my status. If I could have a "home / not home" sign on my front door that only my contacts/friends could see, then yes, I'd have one.
seth:
I don't actively set my status. I automatically go "away" after being away from my desk for 5 minutes. I close the program when I'm going to be away for long periods of time and that sets me "offline". I rarely set my status, but instead it automatically does it.
Oh, and when you read this post, I was at the Oregon Zoo ;) My computers were off and thus I was "offline" - a very valid status that accurately reflects my connected state ;)
krista:
:P
If I had a home/not home sign on my door - it would always be set to not home.
Ha. This was an interesting post Bill. :) I will admit to setting my status to offline, when in fact I am online. I find this more appropriate than to for myself out of conversations with really annoying people who won't leave me be when I'm online. Used to happen alot. Doesn't happen so much anymore.
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