Method 9

Do you remember the old-fashioned tin can phone? You took two soup cans and connected them together with string and then you and your friend went into opposite directions. When you both were both at the maximum distance away, you could talk into the cans.

This year, I conducted my first Instant Message (IM) at home through Facebook. When I saw another friend was online the same time I was, I tried the IM function. It was the first time she had instant messaged also, and we had a nice chat. Since we live in different states, it had all the positive features of an e-mail but with instantaneous replies. I learned not to hit “enter” to begin a new paragraph because in IM, that is the signal to send! Oops! Well, that’s how we learn, isn’t it? Since then, I have IM’d other friends. Once, my sister left to check the mail and never returned! That made me wonder--is there a special etiquette involved in signing in and out?

A few months ago, my home account provider set up IM through its mail page. You have the option of being available, offline, or invisible. It also lists your contacts who are available to chat, as shown by their e-mail address. IM can be easy to learn; I showed my Mom how to use it by giving her step-by-step directions over the phone. It’s a lot of fun, really.

Reading the articles for this method, I noticed “IM Me: Instant Messaging May be Controversial, But Remember, We Also Debated Telephone Reference” is from 2005, four and a half years ago, so it’s pretty old hat by now. It had some good points though, showing how IM is used as a reference tool by the Plugged-In-Generation.

The text messaging abbreviation article shows what looks like a foreign language. It appears that Texters have their own secret code; bet teenagers love that! Some abbreviations were recognizable having evolved from their e-mail inception. NetLingo, the Internet Dictionary site shows how texting has caught on in a big way and is more popular than making phone calls on a cell phones. Another very interesting article on NetLingo described how teachers can get creative with texting terminology by allowing it in first writing drafts instead of freaking out about improper English usage.

Turning to the world of libraries, IM’ing a librarian would be helpful, especially when searching the catalog and getting stuck. It puts a friendly face on reference work. Checking my library I found we have an “Ask a Librarian” Meeb on our main web page. I wonder how much it is used. Conceivably, students could IM from anywhere on campus. It would be convenient and helpful, reaching those already familiar with phone texting.

But, I wonder if some librarians who staff that service might need that “cheat sheet” of abbreviations handy? A lot easier to learn than those tin can phones, though!