Wireless Instant Messaging Can Be Too Intrusive?
I have access to instant messaging programs on my mobile phone and my Danger device. Just this weekend I was in a store and needed some advice on a product, so I fired up the IM and tapped out a message to a friend who gave me his input. Other than that, though, I find I don’t use the mobile instant messaging features that much. The problem, as described in this article, is that people still expect instant messaging to be synchronous communication. They expect, if you’re online and they message you, that you’ll message back immediately. That isn’t always the case with wireless, because there’s lag, difficulty in typing/writing in a response on a phone/PDA or you simply forgot that you left the instant messaging client on while you stuck the phone in your pocket. While there are some situations where it’s useful, instant messaging just isn’t designed to be used in a mobile setting most of the time.
