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The Brian Lehrer Show / June 09, 2008 / Instant Messenger Less Distracting Than Email?

Instant Messenger Less Distracting Than Email?

Monday, June 09, 2008

A new study from Ohio State University and the University of California, Irvine says that instant messaging is less distracting than email in the workplace.

What do you use at the office to communicate? Let us know!


Comments

  • [1] Rachel from Brooklyn June 09, 2008 - 11:48AM

    I think IM is a great mental break from work, and far less distracting than listening to the radio and participating in discussions online!
  • [2] De Freitas from Brooklyn June 09, 2008 - 11:51AM

    I find that I can't get away from IM! There's a client built into Gmail, another built into my Blackberry-- it's in-escapable.

    IM is simply TOO instant. When I get an email message, I've got an hour or two to respond. When I get an IM, I feel like I've got to answer NOW NOW NOW or else people start thinking that I'm ignoring them, which leads to more long term social problems with those individuals. I disable it everywhere I can.
  • [3] Zack from Manhattan June 09, 2008 - 11:51AM

    I work as an editor for a internet publishing company and we use AIM at our work place to communicate between co-workers. I personally find it more efficient than email or calling someone to ask a question. I think instant messages are more effective because you can expect an answer instantly whereas an email can be accidentally overlooked.


  • [4] Cesar from Upper East Side June 09, 2008 - 11:53AM

    At one point, IM was the new e-mail.

    Now, text messaging is the new IM (and e-mail).
  • [5] Randal from Queens June 09, 2008 - 11:54AM

    Re company policies disallowing IM, is PC security a factor?
  • [6] Paul from Downtown June 09, 2008 - 11:55AM

    At my firm, an investment bank, I have colleagues over the globe. IM is a firm-provided tool for communicating w/ each other. I also use IM for net meeting in conference calls to share desktops as well.
  • [7] Jon from NYC June 09, 2008 - 11:56AM

    Unless everyone's using the same messaging service, email is the only way to go.

    Setting up and switching between AIM, Yahoo, MSN, Google Talk, and IRC clients (not to mention the annoyance of getting distracted by random SMSs ) makes the instantaneity not worth it.
  • [8] Janny from jersey city June 09, 2008 - 11:57AM

    I work from home and use it to converse with my coworkers remotely, so its kind of like office conversation.

    I have 2 pet peeves:

    1) it should be used for very brief text/single lines of communication...save the long paragraphs for email

    2) Instant means instant...don't get on IM, send one, and then respond 10 minutes later....

    arrgh!
  • [9] shiro from Midtown June 09, 2008 - 11:58AM

    We are required to have instant messaging. Downside is poorly crafted emails that look like instant message. Fine internally or with friends/fam, but reprehensible when you see TTYL to clients.
  • [10] Michael from Brooklyn June 09, 2008 - 11:58AM

    IM is a slow motion telephone conversation, more fluid and informal than email, but not as demanding of moment-to-moment attention. I use it more for work than socialization.

    Incidentally I have logs of almost every IM conversation I have ever had.
  • [11] donna from NJ June 09, 2008 - 11:58AM

    i'm the same way as the sons of the lady who just called..

    i only reply to texts. i don't even pick up my phone calls
  • [12] Michal from brooklyn June 09, 2008 - 11:58AM

    to compare this to the world of computers, an architecture can have a CPU or processor either "poll" a list of jobs that have to be processed or it can be interrupted by devices when they want to get something processed.

    Maybe you can compare this to checking your email ( polling for more work ) or Instant Messaging ( getting interrupted ).

    Of course this is oversimplified, but computer architectures today use something in between, so there's a 'middle' device that collects interrupts and then the CPU checks that middle device for important jobs.

    again oversimplified, but anyway.
  • [13] Kevin from Bed-Stuy June 09, 2008 - 11:59AM

    I think that IMing and Instant messeging have about the same etiquette- It's instantaneous and understood the receiver has the option to respond at the receivers convenience
  • [14] Richard Walker from San Francisco June 09, 2008 - 07:26PM

    Software dev, San Francisco, Sacramento, Calistoga, Tokyo, email, video conf., Skype, iChat, ooVoo

This thread is closed.


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