Librarian 2.0 Step 9: Chat and Instant Messaging

I skipped another section for now. Here are my thoughts on chat and instant messaging:

This was a quick section for me to finish, because I have some experience with chatting. I have chatted using AIM and Yahoo! Messenger. I have chatted in a message board chat room. And I have chatted using Facebook and Facebook games. I have also chatted (texted) on my cell phone.

With the exception of the message board, everyone I have chatted with is someone I know personally, not through the computer. The message board was a fan site of a singer I like, and I consider the people I chatted with there to be safe. Otherwise I do not chat with people I don't know. Its just a personal decision. I think chatting with people you don't know in person can be done safely; I just choose not to do it.

Chatting can be a lot of fun! My nights of message board chatting were often quite hilarious. I also have a lot of fun texting on my phone with my nieces and two of my friends from Houston. Its immediate, and it helps you feel close to the people you're chatting with. One of my nieces doesn't like to talk on the phone, but she enjoys chatting. One of my friends is disabled and talking is often tiring for her; its easier for her to chat.

Also, sometimes you might want to call someone, but you're concerned that its too late or too early in the day. If you see them online through chat, you know they're awake and its okay to call.

These days many people no longer have land line phones, and they may be limited on their daytime cell phone minutes, so texting is a good alternative. My nieces chat so much that my sister has a family plan for their cell phones that features unlimited texting and a smaller number of talk minutes.

Chatting can be very beneficial for people with disabilities or health problems that prevent them from attending social activities. Night or day, there is always someone in a chat room somewhere who is ready to have a conversation. Chatting can be a social outlet, a place for advice, a source of comfort, an area to discuss common interests, a platform for debate...and in all of these situations, all parties involved need to consider personal safety issues when chatting with people they don't know offline.

I also have skype. Skype is great!! You can see and hear the person, just like you're in the same room with them. Skype can open up a whole new world for people, especially people with disabilities. Oprah uses skype. :) I'm sure many businesses use skype. It can cut down on the need for travel. There is even a chat function in skype, in case the audio is having problems, or for the transmission of links and other information.

I am a big fan of skype. The software is free. You only have to pay for the webcam, and some computers have a web cam already built in. Web cams can be used with both laptops and desktops, so you can skype with people from anywhere. I have a friend whose college-age daughter was in a long distance relationship for more than a year. She would take her laptop to the library, to Starbucks, to Panera, and have study/coffee/lunch "dates" with her boyfriend via skype. :)

librarianintx