SPLAT recommends Meebo for IM. Contact any SPLAT member over IM using the screen names found in his or her profile. Or visit our SPLAT Meebo Room.
IM | SPLAT 101
Instant Messaging: "What is it? Like a chat room or something?"
Umm, kind of. Instant Messaging (IM) is a form of real time online
communication usually in a closed/private chat between two people. That
is, I type "hey whazzup" to my friend in Wales and seconds later she
receives that message on her computer. At this point she can choose to
respond in kind ("howdy friend") or to promptly ignore me. Like e-mail
the message only goes to the user who you've chosen to send it to and
no one else. However, if you would like to get a group of people in on
the conversation most IM services offer a group chat function.
"Well," you might ask yourself, "what good is Instant Messaging to a
library then?" In fact, it can be an extremely useful and flexible
addition to any library's tool belt. For example, Instant
Messaging allows for quick and easy exchanges with co-workers—more
casual than an email, less work than a phone call and great for communicating between branches. Perhaps there is
a patron giving you some guff and you want to covertly warn a co-worker
in their flight path. Instant Messaging would probably be the best tool
for the job. Another really cool thing about Instant Messaging is how
easily it can be used as a virtual reference tool. Simply by
advertising a screen name or embedding a 'meebo me!' (explanation
below) widget in the library's website you've provided the public with
another access point for reference help. For example, imagine a wayward
youth working frantically on a research paper that's due the next day!
All is going well until...OH NO! Wikipedia doesn't have the answer!
"Who else might be able to help me?" she thinks. "Perhaps a librarian?
But I can't get to the library today...hmm..." She quickly surfs to the
local public library's website and discovers that there is a reference
librarian available to chat. "COOL!" she exclaims. Being wayward and
all, this youth as an active IM'er promptly adds her local librarian as
a "buddy" on her IM program, starts a chat session with the librarian,
and the question is answered in minutes. Our youth goes on to write a
glorious paper and become president. Fin.
One other important thing to note. At present you can only chat with
people who use the same IM service as you do. That is, if you are using
AOL Instant Messenger you can only chat with someone who is also using
AOL Instant Messenger. There are however several programs that allow
you to be logged into different types of IM accounts simultaneously. A
few examples of these programs are Meebo, Trillian, and Adium
for Mac users. Of these three, Meebo is particularly interesting for a
couple of reasons. The first is simply because it does not require the
user to download any software and therefore can be easily used from any
computer. The second is that it has a nifty little feature called
"meebo me!". Meebo me! is an embeddable IM window you can easily add to
any personal webpage. This allows any visitor to a page using meebo me!
to chat with the person logged into the attached meebo account. Pretty
cool, eh?
Class Resources
Below are links to the web-based versions of four of the most
widely-used IM services. From these links you can set up your own
Screen Name (SN) and even use your chosen IM service online without
downloading any software to your computer.
Set up an account with any or all of the above mentioned IM services. IWhen doing so choose your screen name wisely. It will come to be your identity in the IM'ing world, and you will be at the mercy of your peers — I can do nothing to save you from them.
Try it out! Post your screen name and which service you chose right here in the comments section. If you're feeling adventurous or aren't able to download programs to your computer I recommend setting up a Meebo account. My screen names are listed in the upper left corner of the page, and I hope to hear from all of you at least once by the end of the week!
If you have any questions, try getting a hold of me via the meebo
me! widget below. I am almost always signed in, but there may be a bit of a wait if I'm the middle of helping patrons. Please let me know WHO you are when sending a message. Thanks!
<!-- Beginning of meebo me widget code. Want to talk with visitors on your page? Go to http://www.meebome.com/ and get your widget! -->
So i have two im accounts... other than my facebook on of course, but the one i use the most is the msn one and it is hott-ramond or there is my yahoo one that is librarianlusk....i am a total fan of im and we actually us it through facebook here at the Madison Library on occasion -Ray
Comment by: Lois (not verified); October 7, 2008 - 12:10pm
I really enjoyed using IM. I got my daughter to help me with it and she just laughs. I hope to use this a lot more and set up an account on my usual home page.She says I am learning more than a lot of people her age, which made me feel pretty good. I know I'll need a lot more practice on it though.
Comment by: Robin (not verified); October 10, 2008 - 1:45pm
I used to IM with my brother all the time, but w don't so much any more. I use MSN (Defcon64; long story) because back then there wasn't as much as there is now (it was IM or e-mail and that's about it; no blogging!). I tried to get into ICQ but it didn't seem to work for me as well as MSN.
Now, I usually just use the phone or Skype to contact my brothers. For other people, there's Facebook. So, yeah, I've used IM a lot more in the past than I do now...
I use IM all the time at work - to talk to co-workers, to talk to librarians at other libraries, even to talk to patrons sometimes. For my personal use though - I don't use it nearly as often as I used to - except for gChat, since it's built right into my email.
Comment by: Amber (not verified); October 18, 2008 - 11:06am
I signed up for Yahoo! IM and my screen name is amber.kent@ymail.com. There is another amber.kent, so I have to remember the 'ymail.com', I think. I chat on Facebook with people at work because my desk is so far from the rest of the gang.
Comment by: Glynda (not verified); October 19, 2008 - 6:10pm
I used IM with a web cam almost every day this summer when my daughter was in Greece for a study abroad. It was great! When we couldn't meet as scheduled, we would leave offline IMs. I use IM with my other family members but haven't even considered using it in the library. After checking out Meebo on the library web sites, I will consider using it in the library.
IM me with MSN Live Messenger: happyvalleybarn@msn.com
Comment by: Deborah (not verified); October 20, 2008 - 4:45pm
IM & Web cam were how I kept up with my husband when I was in South Carolina for Grad school and he was back here in Washington state. I don't think I could have completed grad school if technology were not so that it made communication inexpensive and easy to use.
I remember my mom having a huge phone bill in the early 1990s when I went to KY for undergrad. Ahh technology is so refreshing now.
Anna,
I am so lost. I have signed up with google, yahoo, and meebo. I am having a difficult time sending a message. My school filter is so strong that I can't work with IM at my school computer. I will try again this evening. If you have any suggestions, I welcome them. This was suppose to be easy, so I am sure it is just something I'm over looking.
Hi Nancy. Keep trying! Sorry you're running into difficulties. If you're accessing your IM accounts through Meebo that is the best bet for beating filters - though there's a chance the site will be blocked. One thing that might be causing you some difficulties is that people usually have to accept your request before you can IM with them. Please add me as a friend/buddy and I'll accept you asap. Also, if you're still running into issues perhaps you could use the meebo me widget on the page? Stay in touch - we'll figure it out :)
Comment by: Miranda (not verified); October 20, 2008 - 11:27am
I set up an account with yahoo. My ID is m14g@ymail.com if anyone is interested. The most difficult thing about signing up is trying to pick an ID that isn't already taken. I probably won't use it much as we use facebook here to communicate between desks.
Comment by: Gregory (not verified); October 20, 2008 - 11:59am
I did a lot of IMing during my library masters program, which was mostly online, so it was a great way to chat with classmates about assignments, frustrations, or personal news. I haven't IM'd much since then. I've just signed up for Meebo, but I keep getting interrupted here at work, so I'm going to mess with it some more at home where I can concentrate and really try things out. Meanwhile, I'm still experimenting with my blog and RSS reader from the past couple weeks. I am on Google Talk as bookhouseboy99, and MSN Messenger as gregorytaylor@cableone.net.
Comment by: Kath Ann Hendricks (not verified); October 20, 2008 - 12:30pm
I set up the meebo account then went back and set up a yahoo account because the person I im'd with said I was offline (even though we could still communicate) Now I have two yahoo e-mail accounts very similar to one another: libkaya@yahoo.com and kayalib@yahoo.com
Question: Do we have to have im accounts elsewhere, or would the meebo account be sufficient?
You will need to create an account through each service if you wish to communicate with people who use that service. To talk to AIM users you'll need an AIM account, to talk to Yahoo users you'll need a Yahoo account and so on. What meebo does to help with this is it puts all those contacts in one place. Instead of having 3 or 4 different IM clients downloaded on your computer and having to remember to sign into each one, you can create the accounts online with no downloading and then tell meebo to sign you into all of them automatically when you sign into meebo. Then you'll only have to remember one log in. Does that make sense?
Comment by: Bill Rasmussen (not verified); October 20, 2008 - 2:04pm
Sorry to report that our district blocks IM sites. We tried Meebo, Yahoo, Google talk, AIM and they were all blocked. I really don't want to set up a hotmail account because I know the students that try and use it at school have problems.
Hi Bill! Sorry to hear that all the IM sites are blocked. You may have already tried it, and there's a good chance it won't work, but have you tried to access meebo through this address: https://www.meebo.com? The difference between http and https might make a difference.
Comment by: Becky (not verified); October 20, 2008 - 3:05pm
Ok, it took me a while but I am on Meebo. I had a problem where I right clicked on something and all of my icons went away. (It is ok now it was a computer setting). Thanks to Anna for helping me figure out what the problem was. I can see when this might become useful, but a telephone or email is just easier. I will keep trying. I believe it would be useful when trying to reach someone who is already on the phone or if you just need to drop them a note and you are at home... It has potential!
Comment by: Deborah (not verified); October 20, 2008 - 4:36pm
I've been IMing since the beginning of time. I've got MSN, I've had it so long that I can never remember my user name. I think it is greend2007@messengeruser.com. My user name changes with the updates. Gmail is digilibrarian@gmail.com and Yahoo which I never use I won't give because I don't use it anymore.
Comment by: Sara at Kuna Library (not verified); October 20, 2008 - 4:55pm
I'm really enjoying the all-in-one aspect of Meebo. I do wish it had a better alert system, but then again, I haven't played around with the settings much yet.
The nice thing about IM is the casual nature and the clutter-free interface. I hate having to process a packed email inbox, so this cuts down on the digital clutter for me. Plus, it keeps the phone lines (and staff) more easily available on the phones for patrons.
I do recommend turning off the sound if possible. At a former telecommuting job, we used MSN Messenger to communicate, and I still heard phantom "dings" that would quicken my pulse for months after leaving the company. :)
Hey Sara! Glad to hear Meebo is going well for you. If you use Firefox as your web browser you can make Meebo alerts work even better - you'll get a popup when you get a message and when the browser is minimized it'll flash orange to alert you of activity. You can also set it to log you in automatically when you open your browser. To get it just go to Tools, then Add-ons, then Get Add-ons and type meebo.
Comment by: Nancy (not verified); October 21, 2008 - 9:25am
Anna, I was able to get to the spot where I could send an IM. I sent it last night; but I think you were not available. I went through yahoo and sent the message. It came back telling me it was undeliverable. I will try again after school. I'm not sure I'm getting any closer with this assignment.
Comment by: Kath Ann (not verified); October 21, 2008 - 10:25am
Thanks, Anna, for clarifying the different im accounts and how meebo deals with that. I'm still not sure if I have told meebo to recognize my yahoo account, and I don't know if I will ever use that one, but I'll look into it.
Meanwhile, I can see potential for this as Becky put it, to send a message when a staff member is on the phone and you want to drop a quick line. We are so spread out here, perhaps it could save a few trips up and down stairs. While I appreciate the exercise, sometimes it gets to be enough!
Comment by: Anonymous (not verified); October 21, 2008 - 11:54am
I set up a Google Talk account as Lamont. Still im'ing my daughter and using it every day.I thought I had lost in one day but I just needed to update Adobe and it's up again. Checked out the extra-credit sites and found many others with basically the same message.
Comment by: FaithL (not verified); October 21, 2008 - 2:43pm
I already had an msn account (I also had yahoo and aol, but I have never used them and don't remember what they are)I set up a Meebo account and invited a friend or two do the same.
Comment by: Scarlett (not verified); October 21, 2008 - 3:36pm
Set up account and IM'd with coworker. Since we sit right next to each other it would have been faster to carry on a face to face conversation and I will not be using this as a way to communicate. No time.
Comment by: Barbara (not verified); October 21, 2008 - 3:53pm
I set up a yahoo account and then also a Meebo account. I don't know who I have to IM since I am the one and only in this library. I have been trying to set up with my daughter in law so maybe this will help. This was definitely easier than the last two lessons. Just hope it works.
barbarastobart@ymail.com is the yahoo acct.
Comment by: Jean Hauritz (not verified); October 21, 2008 - 6:19pm
I routinely message at work to our branch and with other coworkers in-house. I have set up yahoo and google message accounts. I use both places for email. I have invited some SPLAT classmates and hope to have a response. Here is to practicing IM'ing.
Comment by: Sharon (not verified); October 21, 2008 - 6:22pm
I created a Google Talk account and MSN account. I got mixed up as I followed the instructions to set up a "MEEBO"- got totally messed up. Hope to figure it all out- like what is MEEBO anyway?
My user name for both accounts: sharon.naman@gmail.com
Comment by: Chris (not verified); October 22, 2008 - 9:51pm
I've used various IM services for quite awhile but am glad to know about Meebo. We are a very small library and I giggled at the suggestion of IM to your workmate about an angry patron coming their way...we and all the other patrons know exactly what each other is thinking due to cabin feverish conditions in our tiny space. Keeps you honest anyway! My grown children and I IM as often as we can. It's been my Godsend for sanity while they have been away from us attending school or living elsewhere. I love it when patrons from foreign countries come in and 'chat' with relatives back home.
Thanks for the info. about the Firefox alert of Meebo activity.
skifools@gmail.com
Comment by: Anonymous (not verified); October 23, 2008 - 10:36am
I use gmail to chat with a couple friends and I also set up a Meebo for the assignment. My Meebo user name is ldfblvsbks. I can see several good uses for this, especially in a spread out work environment but it would require buy in from all involved.
Comment by: Anonymous (not verified); October 23, 2008 - 10:44am
I'm quite used to using IM as I use it all the time on facebook with frieds. I did sign up for a new yahoo account, where I am known as iandaroma, although I doubt that I will use that one very much.
Comment by: Nancy (not verified); October 23, 2008 - 7:42pm
Anna, I just received your IMessaging. So I believe I finally figured it out. My address is nchriste@gmail.com or imaflowergal4@yahoo.com. This has been a challenge; but I learned a lot! I am not able to use this at school. We have our own district IM and use it quite often. However, I have just sent my daughter and father an IM to test my new skill. Thanks for your support. I DID IT!!!! Nancy Christensen
Hey Folks! I've been adding your IM screen names and look forward to talking to you. To those of you I have had a chance to chat with - I've been enjoying it! It's such a neat experience to be able to talk to people all around the state.
For those of you running into roadblocks - great work plowing through! As you all know, figuring out something new can be tricky sometimes, but there's a great sense of accomplishment at the end.
Comment by: Susan (not verified); October 28, 2008 - 11:35am
I like Darjeeling too, or Market Spice from Seattle. IM has its uses, I will admit. When my daughter was in college we used it a little. When I needed some help on a distance learning course in advanced calculus, I could IM another student and that helped a little. During the IM week, I was on my google accout and saw that my daughter was also on line, so we traded a few comments. My problem is that people doing IM often don't wait for your answer before they throw out another message. It turns into chatter instead of a conversation. Also, I would need to be online all the time to use it effectively, and I just don't do that.
Comment by: Leslie (not verified); October 24, 2008 - 10:33am
I set up an account with MSN. My family has this so I practiced at home chatting with them. At work, I'm having trouble finding where to sign in for MSN and I'm not seeing an icon at the bottom of the screen.
Comment by: Katie (not verified); October 24, 2008 - 4:32pm
We use MSN at work to keep in contact between branches and between rooms and it's become invaluable. MSN was also how I knew my daughter was alive while she was in college.
I have an MSN account from way back (hoodoomountain@hotmail.com), and an ICQ account that I haven't used for years. I have a google account, but have not used GoogleTalk (mainly because I don't chat with anyone who uses it), and finally, a Yahoo (book_brat@yahoo.com). However, most of the people I talk to use MSN.
Next up is a meebo widget on our website. I have one young man who thanks me regularly for "turning me on to meebo". (This was after he got over the shock of an old librarian knowing about things like that.) Talk about instant credibility!
Comment by: Anonymous (not verified); October 25, 2008 - 8:23am
My brothers got me started with gmail and gChat a while ago. Now my son is quickly picking it up and finding it to be a great way to talk to the Uncles quickly. My IM is melanie.librarygirl@gmail.com
Comment by: Mrs. H (not verified); October 27, 2008 - 9:20am
Our tech supervisor has suggested that IM is better than email for in district communication...our school tech instructor and I set up IM accounts and now have the option to use IM rather than email...we'll see how it goes. I think to have the entire district using this would be a bit overwhelming because it seems that responding to IM is more urgent than responding to email.
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