Like all good things, IM has it’s dark side. Unlike phone and email which can be easily ignored, if you get an IM it generally pops up right in front of whatever you are doing on the computer. It’s the electronic version of tapping someone on the shoulder while they’re working. In the words of Uncle Ben Parker, “With great power comes great responsibility.” In other words, IM gives you the great power to annoy the hell out of someone!

That being said, I decided to summarize the 5 most annoying things that IM buddy’s do:

1. “Hit & Run” IM

The “Hit & Run” is when a buddy logs onto IM only when they want to contact you. They come online, hit you with an IM then flee the scene once their question has been answered! They go right back off-line and you can never IM them when you need their help. This could happen if you’re dealing with someone who has a modem connection. But usually the case is , ironically, they themselves don’t want to be interrupted by IM messages.

Solution: Block until they learn to play nice.

2. “Cliff Hanger” IM

The “Cliff Hanger” IM is when a buddy sends you a message (usually interrupting some important thought) with a message like “hey chump, you there?” To which you reply “yep, what’s crackin?” Then your buddy never sends back a reply. They just leave you hanging after they interrupted you! You sit there staring at your IM client waiting for a few minutes until you finally give up and try to remember that awesome thought you had.

Solution: When they get back to you 1 hour later, don’t reply.

3. “Time Delay” IM

The “Time Delay” IM is when a buddy is IM’ing you and, most likely, doing five other things at the same time. They take just long enough between each reply to keep stringing you along, but not enough to let you get back to work. This conveys about the same level of respect for your buddy as, say, talking to them on the phone while watching TV.

Solution: Tell them to use Email next time.

4. “Diarrhea of the IM” IM

The “Diarrhea of the IM” IM is a buddy who seemingly has nothing to do - ever. They want to chat endlessly and will IM you all the time for no reason. Their IM chats usually begin with something like “Hey whatcha doing?” This is a common symptom of the buddy who is new to IM and is excited about the ability to reach out and touch someone whenever they want.

Solution: Give them some time to get used to the thrill of IM.

5. “I Don’t Use IM” IM

Ok, so this isn’t an IM user, but a non-IM user. Let’s face it, once you use IM you want everyone you know to use it so you can reach them. Not using IM is even more annoying than all the other problems!

Solution: Send daily email bugging them to use IM.

Are you one of these people? Do you have your own IM pet peeves? Leave some feedback and let me know…

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