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So why does my colleague John (never forget the middle initial “C”) Dvorak hate instant messaging and chat so much?
After reading his recent column, I had to admit that he made some valid points. Online chat can soak up huge amounts of time and accomplish nothing or actually get you into trouble. No question about that. But like any other tool, IM and chat are morally neutral How we use it is really up to us. And in my life, instant messaging is what enterprise folks like to call a “mission critical” application. I use it all the time, every day, as an important part of my business.For example, I was setting up a conference call yesterday with Rob Enderle and a woman from Adobe to talk about a conference were all part of. I had the woman on the phone, and called Rob— but he didnt answer. So I called his cell, and he answered, whispering that he was on another call that ran late. I told him Id handle the call until he became available.A few minutes later, an IM from Rob popped up, telling me hed finished the first call. I called him and added him into the conference. Without IM, Rob would have had to call me and adding him to the conference would have still required calling him back. Thanks to IM, the disruption was minimal.I work with people in both Texas and Nevada who help me with my business. While we often talk on the phone or send e-mail, weve found that for a quick question, or one that could be answered when the person returned to their desk, an IM works very well. Weve also used IM as a “back channel” to talk to a colleague while on a call with a client.p>