Week 9: Instant Messaging

IM'S, EMOTICONS, AND MEEBO'S OH MY!

Well in the beginning chat/IM's, were completely taboo in libraries. They were not seen as a benefit or even a possibility of something that could be used professionally, but times they are a changing. With modern day Instant Messaging/Chat, the programs are not as invasive to the computers. They can be used from the Internet with or without complicated programs and downloads. As mentioned in this weeks lesson many Internet based emails have chat programs that are included with the email accounts, i.e.-Gmail/Gtalk, Yahoo, AOL/AIM, Hotmail/MSN.

In the beginning I used Yahoo IM and ICQ, in fact I met my husband on Yahoo, because at that time chat was more of a social networking setting where you could talk and meet people or discuss common interests. Now chat is seen as a communication tool similar to phones that allow us to break down communication barriers. It also gives an advantage in providing better information and service in certain cases because we are able to send links and pictures etc, to better provide and understand the information that we are supplying.

I know that with Kansas we all jumped into IM reference questions with KANANSWER. It helped those who were still new to the idea to get comfortable in this new technology. Now with KANANSWER having ended many libraries have continued on this service by using MEEBO and TRILLIAN. My library is currently using TRILLIAN. We use Hotmail and Yahoo accounts that are on our webpage. We get a few questions, mainly consisting of requests for information about our library or for information on our website but this only benefits those who come to our site and happen across the IM links. Our library is also networking all staff with Gmail Accounts, allowing us to communicate via chat or shared calendars/Documents. The use of this technology seems to make office communication a little easier. Some of us have also begun to experiment with BUZZ on Gmail, mainly to share helpful websites or information that we have come across that may be good for answering reference questions.


I love Instant Messaging. I use it daily for work and home. My husband is deaf and we communicate easier by text/chat than by phone(relay calls), we are even starting to use the video chat programs for communication (i.e.-Gmail/Skype). As for work if a co-worker is online I can shoot them a message without interrupting them, if they are with a patron. Then they can answer back when they are able.


For this activity I signed up for MEEBO and added my Facebook, Yahoo, and Gmail accounts. I then added those who were listed on the comments for Week 9. I haven't found them "online" yet but hope to get a chance to practice when they do come online when I happen to be online. However, I have begun using MEEBO for my family and work contacts because this allows me to see those in my contacts when they are online, without having to login to 3 seperate accounts. The interface on MEEBO is very clean and easy to use making individual as well as group conversations very easy to use. Making my life a little less complicated. Which is something that we can all benefit from. I plan on using this with all my email/messaging accounts in the future.


In the end, I hope that more programs will begin to work together and allow better interaction without 3rd party software like MEEBO and TRILLIAN. I also hope we can find a better way to get the word out to users about the IM services that are becoming more available throughout libraries.


On to the next... Activity.... c u l8r