I'm not sure when exactly it happened, but Instant Messenging has now become a "legit" business communication tool in our company.

When Instant Messenging (IM) or “online chat” first hit the scene in a big way, I admit we didn’t really understand its use or value.  So we didn’t implement it – in fact, we basically added IM programs to our list of prohibited software. To give you a sense of the time period we’re talking about, the original Napster was also on that list. In light of the security situation at the time (very weak operating systems and perimeter security), it was likely a happy accident that we decided to put that technology on hold. Besides, people were still learning the ins-and-outs of using email as a business communication tool.

Fast forward a few years (which on the Internet is like dog years), and now at least two dozen of us at Godfrey use one variety of IM or another as communication tools.  We didn't announce that it was now OK to use Instant Messenging. It just sort of happened, in an organic way. Probably a big factor in its growth was that I began using it myself and seeing its value.  That's the point at which the firewall gets opened for access, if you were wondering how those things happen.

For me, IM is an invaluable tool for communicating with vendors. We get the rapport, the back-and-forth immediacy of a phone call – but we can paste hyperlinks to each other, and we don’t waste time trying to call or email somebody who’s not at their desk anyway. And everything is logged, at least during my chats. I can’t speak for others. I suppose we could look into implementing a corporate instant messenging server that enforces a set of definted policies. I’ll get to that, eventually. Maybe after I’ve had a chance to catch up on my ghosting. Or defrost the lunchroom freezer.

In any case, I’ll take note of how I use IM throughout a typical day and post the results here.