Lots of interesting stuff going on in IM and Presence
There's a lot of interesting stuff going on in IM and presence ...
I've written about meebo, the embedded IM client that appears when you are reading these posts directly from my web site. In the first few weeks it was up there, I got into a number of spontaneous discussions with blog readers, including one from Dubai. Meebo as a web-based IM client is still the best that I've seen - Trillian for the browser - although Google now has a Google Talk "gadget" that allows for browser based Google IM. (I note, however, that interruptions from site visitors are now quite rare).
Speaking of Google Talk ... Twitter is still hanging on by a thread on my personal radar; I'm not sure why, but this is one I'm keeping half an eye on. I'm still not 100% enamored with the basic implementation; I still believe you can have only one IM connection to this service, and I've settled on Google Talk (so I can update via my Blackberry). However, today I've noticed the Twitter client / robot / whatever connecting to me off and on via AIM. Never stays on long enough for me to leave a tweet, but interesting how little things seem to get stuck in the corners of the web. (Found an interesting fanwiki, BTW).
Speaking of my Blackberry ... I'm still psyched about my all-in-one device. The latest item added to the equation has been Instant Messaging. Google has a nice series of Blackberry-specific downloads, but I have dedicated my BBerry Google Talk icon to keeping Twitter up to date. I haven't found a universal IM client (Trillian for the Blackberry) yet, but I am making good use of the BlackBerry IM client. It's actually a nice little IM tool, with an interesting messaging scheme (from Courtney at the Skype Journal) :
... Blackberry Messenger's instant messaging service is unique to the Blackberry in that messages are sent directly to the other party(ies) over the wireless network and do not go out via the Internet with its inherent latencies ...
Speaking of the Skype Journal ... Courtney's post led me to a few more links of interest, especially in the area of Presence. Apparently, there are a number of folks so manic about keeping folks aware of their availability - the "AlwaysOn Lifestyle" - that a "spec" for something called New Presence is being developed. Ok, it's actually quite ambitious and elegant in a way; integrating your contacts, calender, and desktop to present an ever more accurate indication of tour ability to be interrupted. There's even a new technology toy to download to my Pearl; Talk-Now (reviewed here) in super early release mode, which will tell folks if I am willing and/or able to take their call. Paint is still wet on this stuff, I made one minor misstep in the installation process and am apparently locked out (my tech support solution [via email] is pending). The video looks great, you'll understand the concept in about 10 seconds ... but I still wander back to my thoughts on Twitter - too much intrusion. I like the ability to hide behind voice mail once in a while.
Speaking of AlwaysOn ... Reading these manifestos bring me back to last weekend, hearing today's hyper-connected high school / college students and their aggressive acceptance of Facebook as a useful (critical!) tool in staying connected. So maybe my reluctance to embrace the AlwaysOn Lifestyle is a generational difference ... which kinda grates on me. I'm in IT, I'm supposed to embrace new technology, to understand how it can be applied in a business, and what it might mean for my current employer ... which is probably why Twitter is still hanging by that thread. I am intrigued enough by Facebook, Meebo, Talk-Now, Twitter, etc. to add them to my blogroll (new tech / all); I think there is something interesting going on, just not quite sure what it really means ... yet ...
Technorati Tags: IM
posted by James P. MacLennan at 8:27 PM
| Permalink
| 0 Comments
