Professionalism of Instant Messenger in the Work Place

As America becomes more technologically advanced, it is becoming more common to use instant messenger at work while high school and colleges are blocking the instant messenger usage on networks. Although it is becoming more common to use instant messaging in the workplace, it is important to remember that although the instant messaging can be used for recreational reasons that the sole purpose of using the instant messenger should stay business focused. It is important not to waste valuable hours at work talking to friends and family when there are customers that need your assistance. Although the instant messaging is being used on the works secure network, you should not discuss confidential information while using instant messenger because most instant messengers do not have security blocks. It is vital to remember that although you are using instant messenger that you still need to be professional and not use slang. If you work at an insurance company and are using instant messaging to discuss a claim and the claim ends up in litigation, it does not look very professional for an employee to have “lol” and “brb” in the midst of the conversation. It is clear that many companies want to stay updated with the current waves of technology which is positive aspect of the technological advancements but it is also critical to keep a sense of professionalism when conducting business.


http://www.noslang.com/im.php

Instant Messaging Creates Less Interuptions in the Workplace

There were studies completed at Ohio State University of California which reveal that there were fewer interruptions at the work place than employees who did not use instant messaging. It is ironic because there are many other researchers who say that instant messaging is a distraction in itself and that overall it can reduce productivity that an employee produces. The research that this university completed revealed that many employees were less interrupted with colleagues dropping in unexpectedly than using the instant messaging system. The system gives the employees to the ability display their availability, talk to numerous employees at once and multi task which is an area where many employees may struggle. In the future, instant messaging should become a certified substitute for emailing. It will take time for different companies to agree implementing such system.

Please click the youtube posting below and review an employee speaking on his usage of the instant messager in the workplace.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3_AKQkqnQZQ

I referenced this link in my posting.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080603120251.htm

Pros and Cons of Instant Messaging at Work

There are many pros and cons to using instant messaging at work. It is important to identify these pros and cons before using instant message avenues. If we identify the cons, there is a possibility to turn them into positive occurrences.

Advantages:
1. You can organize your contacts and separate business, family and friends when having chats so you do not invite family members to business chat meetings.
2. You receive instant answers instead of awaiting emails from colleagues.
3. You can save instant messages unlike conversations and refer to them later.

Disadvantages
1. You can hide your family and friends while you are at work but you are still visible and they may send you a message at the wrong time.
2. You may become distracted using the messaging system for conversations that are not work related.
3. There are security risks associated with using instant messenger when an anti-viral program at your particular company does not directly approve the messenger.

What is Instant Messaging all About?

Instant Messaging is a collection of technologies to create a real-time text-based communication between two or more participants over the internet or some form of network. Instant Messaging actually began in the mid-1960’s but did not become popular until the early 1990’s which America Online created “AIM (America Online Instant- Messenger)”. Instant Messenger has expanded beyond the internet and beyond AOL. Within the past 5 years, Instant Messenger has gone from a source of entertainment to a vital piece of Corporate America's daily operations. Many employers are using many different forms instant messaging to communicate with each other instead of making phone calls or getting up from their desks to discuss issues. Instant Messaging is beyond AIM and many companies have created their own form of instant messaging to satisfy their customers. Some of these instant messaging types includes: AIM, G-Talk, Yahoo Messenger, Blackberry Messenger, MSN Messenger (Windows Live Messenger), Oracle Beehive, Microsoft Exchange, Skype, VZOchat, Xfire, Facebook, iChat, IBM Lotus Sametime, eBuddy and many more different types of ways to message. Although many of these instant messaging avenues can be used for entertainment, they are also used to conduct business and satisfy the needs of employees daily work efforts. It is a silent form of communication, which does not disturb surrounding employees. This blog will discuss many of the positive and negative aspects of using instant messaging in the work place. This blog will also educate you regarding the newly updated methods of instant messaging, the messaging affect on the progress of the company, and how it affects the performance of the employees. I hope you will find this blog insightful and that you will learn that updates in technology directly affects our lives in our workplace.