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Instant Messaging (IM): 10-tips for using IM wisely *
by Yelena Bash

Instant Messaging (IM) is gaining prominence in the workplace, with employees using the application for both professional and personal reasons. Seventy percent of people that use IM at work do so to communicate with colleagues, while 34 percent use it to interact with clients or customers.

Bear in mind that just as all of your emails (coming and going) can be saved, compressed and stored by the company you're working for, so can ALL Instant Messaging. So, be careful what you are sending via IM.

IM typically boosts communication and allows easy collaboration because it is less intrusive than a phone call and quicker than email. However, how many times have your IM conversations with colleagues lead to miscommunications? This is because some users treat IM as a conversation in a bar or at a sports event. Others think IM conversations should take on the appearance of short-message service chats, where fully spelled-out words are replaced with abbreviations and letter combinations that look like something out of a teenager's notebook.

Here are some tips for using IM wisely at work:

1. Be brief. IM works best for quick questions, updates, and schedule changes. For complicated or critical messages, send an E-mail, pick up the phone, or hike down the hall.
    
2. Major news. Never deliver bad news or major announcements by IM; the format will seem to trivialize the message.
    
3. Appropriateness. Don't use IM to negotiate contracts, place orders, or make personnel assignments. Put those things in writing, preferably with a fax or a letter.
    
4. Use a proper greeting. Open every message by asking whether you're interrupting ("Is this a good time to talk?"). On your end, learn to say no when you're busy: "Can't right now, how about at 2?" or "Later, okay?"
    
5. Show your status. Many IM programs have icons that you can set to indicate your status: available, on the phone, do not disturb, away, etc. Use them.
    
6. Use lower case letters. Don’t use all capital letters to type your message. As with email, it’s the IM equivalent of shouting.
    
7. Proper English. Do not overdo it with abbreviations. For example: instead of writing “talk to you later,” you type “ttyl.” This can get confusing if the person you are communicating with does not know all the abbreviations that you use.
    
8. Online humor. Sarcasm is one thing that often gets people into trouble with IM. Until people know what wave length you are on, it might be worth clarifying attempted humor. Remember that sometimes emoticons (the little faces) can help with this, but sometimes they can get you into even more trouble!
    
9. Be Polite. Being polite will get you a long way with online interactions. One of the fastest ways to shut down an IM conversation is to be arrogant, rude or over familiar. Try using words like “please” and “thank you.”
    
10. Listen. You might want to take a breath in conversations to allow the other person to ask a question of you. Do not let your IM relationship get too one sided. It can be overwhelming to get 10 comments for every 1 that you send.

The quickest way to become comfortable with IM is to use it and see how effective it can make you in connecting with others, sharing ideas and information, and generating better business results. However, remember that while IMing is a great communication tool, it can just as easily lead to miscommunication. I hope that you have found these tips and guidelines useful in avoiding these miscommunications and better utilizing your IM.

* Because IMing is not secured by default, make sure to discuss its use and implementation with your network specialist.