This short post is just about a little pet peeve of mine. How long it takes to recieve a reply to an instant message from some people.

Instant messaging is supposed to be like having a face to face conversation except in text no?

Well if someone came up to you in person and asked you a question would you wait 2-5 minutes to respond?(Watch a clock to see how long this actually is)

That wait is precisely what some do on instant messaging services(albeit extended at times. I’ve been on extended waits ranging from 15 minutes to over an hour). Now I understand that some people are busy and such and I respect that, but there is an away button isn’t there?? It has a purpose you know. It’s there to tell people you are away from your keyboard or cannot respond for any other reason.

Others have actually noted in the past that I reply to IMs too quickly. So I’m confuzed. Is it bad that I give whoever is IMing me my full attention?? Apparently instant messaging is not supposed to be instant.

</rant>

Feel free to comment about this and/or give examples of this happening to you and/or your standpoint on the matter on the comments page here or on the syndicated topic on Screeze.com