Week 9: Chat

I use IM some and have found it to be a really helpful tool. Definitely use the google chat feature to converse with those from our library since everyone is on that. It's great when you need a quick answer, or want to know if someone is available before walking to his or her workstation. I also really appreciate Meebo, for the ease of talking to others using different clients. We've used Meebo at the reference desk to make it easier for patrons to connect with us. I definitely recommend getting some scripts together if you are going to use IM for reference-- having canned messages available for things you need frequently sure beats recreating and retyping every time. I also encourage others to go with the flow and not worry about all the grammar, capitalization, etc. People want quick replies, better faster & not perfect, than slow and all in order! Checking out some links on the 'Best Practices Wiki', I liked one of the points comparing IM & a product like virtual reference or question point (which are more robust), but the author stressed the power is in the buddy list through IM where you integrate into the patron's life that way. The IRC channel was new to me. Seemed like a great tool for a group chat.