Instant Messaging -- friend or foe

I can IM on the newsroom system to others about games going on, but that's usually about it. Only in dead spots during the night, of course, because it's no good to IM on deadline.

 

Yeah, well, the cyborg emails me on deadline also.

Like I said, he's 4 feet away. Hasn't a clue how to talk to people, I guess.

I'd smack his head silly if I wasn't his boss.

 

I've worked at two places where we had a messaging system and I think it's definitely necessary. The place I work now has a huge office and when you have to deal with people from other departments it makes things much easier.

I also made the IT guys install AIM on my computer. There are nights that are so busy I won't log on. Frankly, it would piss me off if I worked at a place where they said I couldn't use it. It gives me a chance to have some sort of contact with the outside world and is a lot less distracting IMO than phone calls or listening to the iPOD during work.