As someone who doesn't IM (big surprise) and who has been very happy with the functionality of email, I didn't understand the popularity of IM-ing over email. . . until I read our assigned Nardi, Whittaker, & Bradner article.
Sure, IM-ing allows for speedy communcation despite time and distance constraints, but so does emailing. IM-ing allows for brief, informal interactions, but in my experience, so does emailing.
I didn't realize, however, that IM interactions occurred so much more quickly that email interactions. Are there any more benefits? Mobility?
Posted by LisaB at April 7, 2003 11:10 PMIM is definitely a pretty mobile system. You can sign on from anywhere.
AOL even offers a limited-feature service that doesn't need to be downloaded or installed.
I hope you are going to participate in the IM discussion on Tuesday. I think it will be an interesting experiment.
Posted by: tara on April 7, 2003 11:56 PM