With DigitalMe and InstantMe - I feel this article can shed some light on the relevance of "being connected". Having managed teams in a virtual environment for a large online service provider - I already know and understand the power of Instant Messaging - let's see if Novell can find a way to articulate it to Corporate America (we need a new term for the global nature of business today...)
I included the second article not so much for it's content but rather for the list of services that can be provided from a full service IM client (and don't think IM within the PC - extend it to wireless devices - PDA's and Internet-ready cell phones). This space is prime for explosion....
Regards,
Peter J Strifas
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IM, I Said (How Instant Messaging Can Boost Your Business)
URL: chkpt.zdnet.com
Jesse Berst, Editorial DirectorZDNet AnchorDesk
Monday, February 14, 2000
Like most twenty-something single women, Managing Editor Nicci Noteboom has an active social life. So when she came to me touting the virtues of instant messaging, I was skeptical. I thought she was looking for a creative way to justify her favorite hobby (gossip).
However, if used properly, instant messaging can play a vital role in office communications. Instant messaging (IM) refers to short, text notes sent instantaneously
from one computer to another over the Internet. By creating "Buddy Lists," you can see when friends or co-workers are online and available to IM.
A hybrid of chat and email, if you will. IM is poised to become the backbone for a huge range of new services on various platforms, including cell phones and PDAs. AOL alone sends 600 million instant messages a day (compared with a 110 million emails).
The IM revolution is slowly creeping into the workplace. A recent ComputerWorld survey revealed 17% of U.S. corporations utilize instant messaging. Ferris Research predicts two-thirds of corporate email users will use IM regularly in five years.
To be sure, the category still has its problems. Most notably, the number one IM provider, AOL, blocks out other messengers, making it hard to create a service that can reach anyone,anywhere. Click for more. But you don't have to wait out this standards fight.
Use IM now for:
Communicating with clients on the fly: For example, PlexxNet's Patient LogPad lets patients communicate instantly with their doctors. The device is in trials right now, but look for others to follow its lead.
Enhanced customer service: Several companies offer IM-based online help.
Passing Notes: As IM moves to cell phones and wireless handhelds, it will become the ultimate way to pass notes. For instance, quickly (and subtly) send your co-worker
a reminder to bring up a specific point, figure, etc.
Virtual Office: IM started as a way to track which "buddies" were online. Today, some companies use it to assemble virtual teams from locations around the globe.
HOW TO CREATE A VIRTUAL OFFICE
If you're ready to dive into the IM revolution, PC Magazine recently reviewed six IM clients with business users in mind. These offer extra bells and whistles and more security
than most free services. Editors' Choice nods went to:
Tribal Voices' PowWow: This tool got praise because it's free and works with both AOL and Microsoft's clients. Biz-centric features include the ability to collaborate using a virtual whiteboard, transfer files and take users on Web tours.
Lotus SameTime: Nothing comes close to matching this tool's integration, administrative control and extensibility. Along with basic IM functions, you can group chat, create
threaded discussions and share apps via the Internet or an intranet. FYI -- You don't need to run Lotus Notes or Domino to use SameTime.
If you'd rather just wade into IM, PC Computing's Peter Deegan can walk you through creation of a simpler (and free) virtual office. Here are the basics:
Create a contact list (a.k.a. buddy list) of employees. Secure your contact list. With a few clicks, most clients block out unauthorized users and hide your IP address. Remind users to log on. Your virtual office is useless if people don't launch the IM client. Consider adding
it to the Start Up menus.
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Exerpt from article on MSFT vs AOL Instant messaging wars
...because instant messaging could become the backbone for a huge range of new services on a wide range of new platforms. Consider how instant, real-time communication could combine elements of services that exist today in various forms, such as:
Conference calling
Stock alerts
Paging
Security alerts
Cell phones
Emergency notification
Intercom
Two-way and CB radio
Chat boards
Inventory alerts
Walkie-talkie
Then consider all the places these combined services might appear:
Desktop computers
Set-top boxes and Net TVs
Pagers
Wireless handhelds
Smart phones
Future Internet appliances |
