Just as there are spam emails and spam blog comments, there are also spammers that threaten to bother you on an instant messenger program. The download instant messenger programs I’ve had the most trouble with are MSN Messenger and AIM (although AIM has significantly cut down on this recently).

In order to combat spam IMs, which is the occurrence of random screen names sending you messages that say something along the lines of “Look at this cool new product I’ve found!” or “Still need a job? Visit this site”, you can do 2 things:

1. Change your privacy settings to make you unsearchable and only give your screen name out to people you trust.
2. If you have a severe problem with spam, change your screen name and then do step 1.
3. Download instant messenger programs that are hosted on a secure server, like the new *free* Public Brosix 3 Beta, which is available for Mac, Windows, and Linux. This will close your IM activity from the rest of the internet, eliminating spam.

As technology develops, spam will hopefully decrease, but until that time, download instant messenger programs that have good spam filters and are dedicated to eliminating sketchy users with bad intentions.

• Video Chat
• Voice Chat
• File Transfer
• Drawing Boards (like the award-winning Brosix whiteboard)
• Group Chat Rooms

For me personally, I use the text messaging most (which is obviously the basic purpose of IM), but I also use the file transfer a lot to send funny pictures to friends or to have a co-worker check an article I am writing for one of our client’s websites.

I would like to use group chat and video chat a lot more, but since most of the people that are on my buddy list don’t like to use it or unable to use it due to the instant messaging program they are using, which doesn’t support it. For contacts that I don’t see much, video chat is a great option because it allows me to converse with them without having to use my cell phone minutes. It’s free, and I also get to see their face while I am talking to them, which often makes communication a lot clearer.

Are there any instant messenger features besides the ones above that you use every day? Or, do you use group chat a  lot and have a story to share? Post a comment!

Besides joining Facebook, my mom also uses the MSN instant messenger almost every night to talk with her significant other, who lives in another small town about 30 minutes away. Because they cannot see each other every day, they use IM to stay in touch.

When I first started using instant messenger ten years ago, I never thought I would see my mom using it on a regular basis to communicate. But I definitely think that my mom uses IM for reasons other than why I did ten years ago. She uses it to converse — to talk seriously, update people close to her about her day, and to relay important information. Ten years ago (and even now, occasionally) I use(d) instant messaging for gossip, asking basic questions I need an answer right away on, and sharing interesting news links and websites.

Even though my mom and I use instant messengers in different ways, we have one thing in common — we use it to communicate. Even though the information sent and received may vary, and the amount and length of conversations ranges from short to long, we use instant messaging to talk to our friends and family.

Comunication is Key.

IM allows you to search for the correct answer you need at your desk or on your computer before having to immediately reply to the person you are talking to on IM — using a co-worker, supervisor, or client.

Besides being able to find the right answers, IM also allows you to “check your work” — by examining spelling and grammar before sending the message. This also is an easy way to make you seem more alert than you are really feeling.

This is one of the reasons why I love using instant messaging. I can cover up those days or times when I’m feeling a little sluggish, and turn it into a great, productive day. Why do you use IM? I’d be interested in hearing your comments.

IM allows you to search for the correct answer you need at your desk or on your computer before having to immediately reply to the person you are talking to on IM — using a co-worker, supervisor, or client.

Besides being able to find the right answers, IM also allows you to “check your work” — by examining spelling and grammar before sending the message. This also is an easy way to make you seem more alert than you are really feeling.

This is one of the reasons why I love using instant messaging. I can cover up those days or times when I’m feeling a little sluggish, and turn it into a great, productive day. Why do you use IM? I’d be interested in hearing your comments.

IM allows you to search for the correct answer you need at your desk or on your computer before having to immediately reply to the person you are talking to on IM — using a co-worker, supervisor, or client.

Besides being able to find the right answers, IM also allows you to “check your work” — by examining spelling and grammar before sending the message. This also is an easy way to make you seem more alert than you are really feeling.

This is one of the reasons why I love using instant messaging. I can cover up those days or times when I’m feeling a little sluggish, and turn it into a great, productive day. Why do you use IM? I’d be interested in hearing your comments.

* Keep your chat logs to refer back to. Many hosted instant messaging programs, like Brosix, will do this automatically. This provides a great resource to look back to when you need to get a link or remember what a co-worker asked for the day before.
* Learn the keyboard shortcuts. I copy and paste a lot of links and information in my IM chat windows. Besides the shortcuts for copy and pasting, I’d recommend learning any other shortcuts that your IM program may have (new chat window, new buddy, etc.)
* Learn the chat lingo. I’m sure I’ll post about this in more detail sometime later, but learning what LOL (laugh out loud) and NP (no problem) mean will ensure that you keep abreast of the conversation that is happening between you and your chat buddies.
* Learn the chat smileys. These are fun when using instant messaging, but should always be used sparingly (as with lingo mentioned above).

I hope that these tips for using IM everyday can be a good resource!

For business IM accounts, it is crucial to use your full or first name, if it is available. In fact, many enterprise instant messaging clients often don’t allow you to choose a screen name and just use your full or first name, if it is available. However, for IM accounts that are being used on a free IM client, like AIM, it is important to chose a user name that is professional.

For example, names like “hotbabe09” or “loves2party” will certainly bring the wrong impression to perspective clients and supervisors. They may not take you seriously or what’s worse, they may think that you don’t take yourself seriously. My screen name is my first name is a few numbers behind it- kelsey7820. While this isn’t an ideal screen name (ideal would probably be kelseychildress or kelseyc), it is somewhat professional and I’m not afraid to use it with clients and co-workers.

One of the hostages, Gio, is shown early in the film talking to his girlfriend on a wireless connect with video chat on his laptop computer. Later, when the train is taken hostage, the laptop continues to stay on and serves as surveillance  for the cops, as the criminals aren’t aware that it is on.

That got me thinking…. was the video chat feature a lifesaver for all of those hostages? Maybe I’m stretching it a little, but it certain made me think about all the different ways that technology can be used and how crucial and important it can be, even saving lives. There are news stories every day of people saving and helping other people through technology- in chat rooms, and other places.

Perhaps I will go into more detail about that in another post. There are so many good (and bad) stories of using technology to help others

Have a good weekend everyone!

Due to the changing economy, there are more and more breaking news stories every day. Because some of these may be pertinent to your business or industry, you can use instant messaging to communicate relevant news links and other information that they may need to see.

For example, whenever I want to show one of my co-workers a great link, I just send it in an instant message. Then, this can spark conversation about the article that may give us some great ideas for projects or how to develop an idea to make it stand out from the crowd.

I believe that staying up-to-date, with what is happening around the world and in your industry specifically, is the best way to stay ahead of the competition and make sure that your company thinks of things first. No matter what the industry, from carpet cleaning to wildlife conservation, it pays to stay abreast of current events and what’s happening that’s relevant to your company.