More about IM at work

Forbes has an interesting article on the subject. Here's a quote:

"People send instant messages without giving any thought to whether the other person is free," she says. "You should ask if someone has a minute at the outset." And we shouldn't take offense if someone we ping doesn't respond. "If they're online they're obviously doing something--they're not sitting there twiddling their thumbs waiting to hear from you," says Klinkenberg, "so leave them alone."

That about sums up my take on the matter -- because it's easy for us to contact someone when we have a minute, we tend not to think about the person on the other end. I think this is part of the same phenomenon as "if I'm not busy, you must not be busy."*


I also found it fascinating to see the prices these etiquette consultants charge.

Update 6/10/05: This post says it better than I can. Chat: Productivity Kryptonite
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* One night, when I was working in a hospital lab, a nurse called and said:"Since you're not busy, could you..."
I replied, "Why do you think I'm not busy?"
"Well, it's slow on my floor tonight."

Instant Messaging Graduates To Workgroup Collaboration Tool - RG News

Yet another piece of collaboration software! I love new software. This looks to be a useful tool; but I wonder. IM is a blessing and a curse. It can provide instant communication and constant interruption. As if my day wasn't fragmented enough (mostly by my scattered thoughts).

It reminds me of a Monty Python short movie I only saw once -- The Crimson Assurance Company. There's a bit in there where people are trying to get work done and are getting constantly interrupted. At one point the character played by Eric Idle says something like, "You know, humans are capable of brilliant ideas, but they're fleeting and it's important not to be...." Just then a pirate ship shows up.

If anyone knows how that skit really goes, please enlighten me.

One size fits all? Experiences with a Learning Management System (LMS)

Once upon a time there was a Greek king named Procrustes. He loved having guests, and loved it even more when they stayed overnight. He had a special bed that was guaranteed to fit the guest. Was the bed adjustable? In a way. If the bed was too large, Procrustes had the guest stretched until the bed was just right. And if the bed was too short, Procrustes had the guest shortened to fit the bed.

And that's most LMSes in a nutshell.

In the LMS I've had some experience with (which shall remain nameless) everything to be learned must be in a "course" and it must be the same format as all the other courses. And you must access the courses through the LMS.

What if you just want to look up something you read a while ago? You can't just look up a piece of information; there's no indexing by content -- only by course. And if a piece of information is in a course that wasn't defined as part of your job role -- you're out of luck again.

And in some LMSes, once you took the course, or read a section and passed the test, you couldnt even access it again!

Who remembers everything he or she's ever read or learned?