Follow these simple tips to help better organize your IM for maximum potential in your everyday life:
Add Important Contacts. Believe it or not, sometimes an IM can be easier and quicker than a phone call or email, researchers discovered. Ask every contact, personal or business, if they have an IM screenname. This can open you up to quick answers whenever you have a question and save you time in the long run, whether it is for inquiring about the next book club meeting or when its your turn to carpool. Add New Contacts Now.
Delete Generic Groups. When you first sign-on to your IM clients, they typically offer a few standard generic groups, such as “Buddies” or “Co-Workers.” After awhile, however, you will find some contacts have gotten mixed in under the wrong group. Instead, create specific groups, like “Bowling Team” or “Marketing Department” to help bring more organization to your contacts list. Create New Groups Now.
Simplify the Clutter. With many IM clients today, your contact list can get cluttered easily with the addition of status messages, IM icons and other extras that can now be included with the screennames of friends and family. Whenever possible, turn these features off for a clean, simple list of names.
Add Nicknames When Possible. Some IM clients now allow users to rename their contacts to include a nickname or first name, rather than a screenname. Adding real names to your IM contacts rather than relying on memory to remember a person’s screenname is helpful, especially if you have many contacts on IM.
Let IM Take Notes. As a journalist, I’ve used IM many times to ask follow-up questions or to check a fact with a source. As an extra precaution, I’ve kept IM logging features on, allowing all my conversations to be recorded for future reference, if necessary. If you receive phone numbers, email or snail mail addresses or other important information, it might be a good idea to let your IM take the notes with IM logging.
Anticipate and Remove Distractions. One of the most annoying features on IM is the shameless self-promotion companies place as standard on their IM clients, such as Yahoo! Insider. Nix these unwanted pop-ups on start-up and consider creating a few standard away messages to use when you cannot be interrupted. This will help cut down on or completely eliminate distractions in the long run.
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Have a Question about IM? Send an email to Brandon De Hoyos, About.com’s Guide to IM, at im.guide@about.com or send him an IM and ask today! You can also pose your question to other About.com readers in our IM Forums.
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