Thing 7

Web Communication tools are one of the main reasons I use the internet so much. I have 2 non-work emails, one on hotmail and one on gmail. I have the gmail automatically forwarded to the hotmail, to save time. I like having the free email, to keep work emails separate from personal. Plus if I sign up for a commercial webpage, I use that address, in case I get spam.
Another way I save time is by having not only the spam filters turned on, but I put in keywords to filter out in the title. Most people who write me emails wouldn't send me an email with a dirty word in the title, so that seems to help stop the gross emails enough.
Without email, my job would be a lot more difficult in our library. I get hundreds of emails a day dealing with my job. Without it, I think I would have a line of people around the block up to my workspace. It also helps keep people to the point so they can ask what they need of me, and that is a big help.

I use IM regularly. Many of the younger librarians I have worked with, like to use it to not only answer questions to patrons, but also to consult with each other on problems. When I worked at a branch library, we would all have IM on so we could stay in contact with each other. These branches were all over the country, so this was the best way of staying in touch.
I use MSN Messenger, but have also used Trillian and Meebo. These work well, but mostly I go back to Messenger as my associates use this the most. Meebo is good in that if people use different types of IM software, you can use this and can still communicate with everyone.

I have used cell texting on a friends cell phone. I am one of the few people in the world who don't have a cell phone, as I don't really like telephones. If I want to be unavailable to people, I think that is my right. I feel like it also makes people rude to each other by wanting to answer the phone at inopportune moments.
I would rather have the text messages come up to an IM reader on a computer. Who could sit at a cell phone all day trying to type on the tiny phone pad? Not fun if you were doing it all day, I think. However, I do see the benefit of being able to work anywhere and answer questions on the fly.

Web Conferencing has changed the way I do training in the past few years. Instead of having to wait for a local workshop or class on a topic, I can instead sign up for a webinar or online class on a subject. Also, I have used it in the past to do live online meetings for participants who are located around the country. Some of my favorite to do are the Minitex webinars. I try to do these whenever I see they are available. Webjunction also has tons of great web conferencing opportunities that I highly recommend to my staff. I love the idea of OPAL, and even though it seems geared towards public libraries, I have a few sessions I'm going to try out. From what I saw today, after downloading the plugin, it is really easy to use. I think it is a great way of reaching out to other librarians and users around the world.

I tried Twitter - I can see how people like to show what they are doing at all times, but it is still a mystery why people want to do this. I have friends that have their twitters posted to their blog journals, and I'm still not sure why I even want to read their twitters? I guess that is one of the social networking things I don't understand yet. I can see using it to show people that you are running late, or that you found something interesting that you need to share with the group. You can also post to this on your cellphone (which I don't have) and then it will go out to everyone in the group. That makes sense to those people who have cellphones I think.

As for my library, we use Microsoft Outlook. I use the file features to organize and can search easily within my emails. I like the task features, and calendar the best. In my past jobs I never used these features, and I have to say they improve my productivity and I can't imagine doing my job without it. In Technical Services, people don't like using technology for communication as much as I or other librarians do. I like to show them tools in our meetings, but many would rather do face to face communication. I save emails and IM'ing for appropriate times. However, if everyone would impliment IMing on our campus and also using emails, I would be very happy. I think IM'ing can be used to answer quick questions (I'd rather do that than use the phone) and can keep me more connected with my staff, who are now located in a different area of the library. I think the perception from IT (sorry guys) is that IM is just a toy that has no professional use, or that our people can't be trusted with a tool like that. I think that people would surprise you and end up using it. They would be more productive in the long run and I think it would be worth it.