Because I use instant messaging almost everyday at work to communicate with my friends and co-workers, I definitely know the value of a good shortcut when it comes to making the most out of this valuable tool. The following are some great tips that I use in order to be the most efficient and effective IM user that I can be!
* 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!