IMs

So I tried downloading Google Talk. Twice. It told me I had downloaded it, but it would not let me run it. Then I tried Yahoo messenger, and that worked. It completely took over my computer, actually. It changed my home page, it tried to add every person I've ever emailed as a chat budddy, and my computer firewalls tried desperately to remove it several times. It's an extremely aggressive application for a function I see as minimally important, and I am not very happy with the results. I succeeded in placing chat contact requests only to those work collegues that I know are doing this same workshop as I am. However, it also send a chat message to my own yahoo address.

As I type, I am getting regular popup messages saying that there's an application that is still arguing - by the minute - with yahoo over what my home page is going to be and it's getting very distracting. I think it is becoming extremely clear to me why the Fort Worth Public Library system would not allow us to download this mess on our work computers.

I did get to sign my own home yahoo address up as my own chat buddy, so while it might be kind of a dull conversation, at least I have now experienced what it looks like at both ends.

Like I have said, I've used chat before. I think it's a tedious, slow way of saying unimportant things in an inarticulate manner. I can't think of any work-related thing I do that would not be better served by a phone call or email, and I can't think of any personal thing that would not be better served by Facebook.

And I now can no longer control Yahoo on my laptop. Grrrr. I'm going to delete this once I've finished the course.

Edited: I talked to my husband about IMS, and he says yahoo's just an aggressive one. They use IMs a lot in his office because they feel it's a less disruptive way to send somebody immediate information than a phone call. He's a programmer. Two people have now added me to their contact lists and I think I can honestly say I have completed this application. I have one Thing left.