As you might know if you’ve made it through any of my past whining, I like to chat online.
Sometimes on websites, ICQ available for chat mode when that was the thing to do, on IRC more than anywhere else. Once in a while I’ll meet someone in a forum or from a blog comment or even Google groups. Lately swapped emails a bit on Fetlife too.
Almost invariably when I chat with someone for a little bit they’ll ask if I use any form of instant messenger. Once in a while I’ll say yes. We’ll say hi right away then maybe once the next day but not have a chance to talk. Then a few days later we’ll cross paths and chat a bit. After that maybe a couple more near-misses and a few months later I think back to the person I used to chat with before I clean my list and that’s the end of that.
I think it’s because once someone is on a messenger chat list you take them for granted. You feel like you can talk any time rather than taking the opportunity to talk now. Maybe I just get boring really fast?
Either way I’m giving thought to giving up instant messengers entirely.
I feel the same way. Nowadays, I treat IM differently with different people.
With some people, it’s like e-mail but faster. Each one of us just types in something every once in a while. There are people with which we make an appointment to chat online. And there are people I refuse to IM and rather speak on the phone or e-mail.
I think it boils down to what kind of IM user you are (e.g.: do you have an IM client running all the time in the background?) and what kind of relationship you have with that person.
Hey, would you like my MSN? 😛
What’s that people use over there?
instant messenging i think is something that’s come and gone. the closest thing to it i use anymore are the google chat and facebook messenger – mostly because they live on webpages and don’t need a full blown app to use. that’s a good thing.
when i find people on irc i want to keep track of — email is a better choice.