Here are some interesting results from a survey by cable ISP Telewest into how UK professionals use email, IM and SMS. In the case of IM - the answer is infrequently. Interestingly, this isn't because of an absence of need, rather an absence of trust. In fact, UK professionals are effectively using email for instant messaging. Seventy-seven per cent considered it rude to not respond to an email within 24 hours, 44% wouldn't think it acceptable to wait longer than a morning. And yet less than half have IM clients on their desktops, and fewer seem clear about how best to use them.
I'm a latecomer to IM myself (I now keep iChat and SKYPE open on my desktop), and I sympathise with that uncertainty about IM etiquette. It doesn't get any easier. Like, how long are you meant to wait after seeing a "buddy" you need to contact appear as online on your client list before it's okay to message them? You don't want to jump on them right away. It makes you look like a stalker. And yet I've waited too long before, only to see them vanish again. What are the rules?
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