Week Nine: Instant Messaging

When I was overseas working I used an early version of Yahoo! Messenger to stay in touch with friends and family.  I found it to be a useful tool so long as you had previously set up specific times taking into account time differentials as to when friends and family could expect to find me online.  After I got back I found myself more and more frequently putting myself offline due to the number of IM requests appearing nearly every time I signed into Yahoo.  I guess my biggest problem with IM and chat in general is the same problem I have with Facebook, etc.  I call it SOCIAL INTERACTION OVERLOAD.  Admittedly I have a very low threshold of social interaction tolerance in general and I do not begrudge anyone who wants to be in touch 24/7/365 but that is not my cup of tea.  Thus, don't expect to find me online for chatting up with any frequency if at all.  Now, having said the forgoing, I do see some valid uses for IM and chat.  One that I really like is the online reference librarian.  I have actually used this service through ESU's White Library's Ask a Librarian and found it to be most helpful from time to time.  I can also see how it could be very useful when working on a project collaboratively on a tight deadline.  As with all of the tools we have looked at thus far in this course of study I can see some valid uses for them.  I would venture to say that I am skeptical of most of the uses to which they are put