IM as Tool for Collaborative Working

"iWire notes in reviewing a study of instant messaging in the workplace that the main use of IM was 'complex work discussions'. There are some methodological difficulties with the study (the software studied was new and about half of users worked at AT & T). But leaving that aside I can't help thinking that if true this heavy use of IM for work is Not A Good Thing.

If work-related electronically-mediated conversation moves from email to IM, an important "record trail" may be lost. Email can be filed into folders by subject, keyword searched etc. IM in most systems simply disappears once it is typed unless one or the other party saves the transcript.

If businesses do implement IM, it may therefore be important to include some kind of automatic logging function as well as monitoring it for legal reasons if needed." [Blog.org]

Is There a Place for IM in the Legal Profession?

"Marty Schwimmer announces today Trademark Lawyers Are Standing By to Take Your IM:  'You will notice a link to the left which say 'Instant Message Us Now.'  [T]he IT department hooked it up as part of an experiment with the use of instant messaging in providing legal information.  Our IM address is schwimmerlegal....'  Any other lawyers out there using IM?  Come on, don't be afraid to admit it." [Ernie the Attorney]

House Makes a Plea To Keep BlackBerrys

"Congress to lawyers: Don't take away our BlackBerrys. Please.

In a rare intervention into a private lawsuit, the chief administrator of the House of Representatives yesterday pleaded with attorneys in a patent-infringement case to settle their differences in a way that allows the popular handheld e-mailing device to continue operating.

'The device is used routinely by most members of Congress . . . as well as senior staff,' wrote James M. Eagen III. Any disruption in the service 'creates a serious risk to the House's critical communications and could jeopardize the public interest, particularly in the event of an emergency,' he said.

Eagen wrote that Congress has invested nearly $6 million in BlackBerry technology, including issuing 3,000 of the black, wireless handsets, in part because of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

Eagen's worry stems from a federal court jury verdict in November that the BlackBerry infringed on patents held by NTP Inc., an Arlington holding company." [The Washington Post, via Boing Boing Blog]

Wd U go on a d8 w/ me?

"Texting is the next generation gap, I think. Before I got my Hiptop, I spent the last year doing a crapload of texting on my Sprint phone. (In fact, the whole reason I got the Hiptop was that I looked at my monthly bill and realized I was doing three times as much texting as I was actually talking on my phone.)

But every time I talk about texting to my peers, they totally don't understand it. There's a whole litany of complaints: It's too hard to type; the screens are too small; why wouldn't I just use email if I want to send a message? This all reminds me of the early 90s, when my friends would wonder why I was spending so much time "on the Net", and make similar complaints: The Net is for weird loner geeks; there's nothing interesting on it; nobody will ever want to read things on a screen. Is there an echo in here?

The point is, adults interested in society and technology ought to pay far more attention to what young adults are doing with their toys. Young adults were the first adopters of the most popular Net-based tools, like instant messaging, MP3s, file sharing, and blogging -- all of which have become utterly huge and massive trends. I usually try and avoid generational analyses, but in case of technology adoption, it's true. Mobile devices are going to penetrate our lives in ways as powerful -- and unpredictable -- as the Net." [collision detection, via Smart Mobs]

Of course, it goes without saying that libraries need to pay attention to how these trends will change how young adults expect to receive our services. Radically.