Paul Pival points to the new AIM WIMZI Widget. From first glance it looks pretty sweet. I currently use Trillian to connect to my IM screennames, for a variety of reasons. I also use the Meebo widget on the Biz Wiki and on my Business Blog. I probably get about 20 questions a week via... Continue Reading →
Plugoo versus Meebo
The Librarian in Black has a write-up comparing Plugoo and Meebo, two IM widgets that allow users to chat with you from a web page without the need for IM accounts or clients. She says she's still a MeeboMe girl, and with good reasons. I've tried both of them, and while they both offer good... Continue Reading →
Trillian Astra to “change your Web”
Cerulean Studios is developing Trillian 4.0, which they are calling Astra. It looks like they are trying to incorporate everything except the kitchen sink in the new project, but the project tour and the Sneak Preview look very interesting. I've used Trillian for quite some time, and am still a big fan of the product. ... Continue Reading →
Talk to your librarians
A couple of colleagues are using meebo as method to "Talk to your librarians." They're using the meebo widget which is displayed prominently on the Communications Blog and on both of their contact pages (here and here). I've had the meebo widget on my Business Blog for a couple of months now, and I've actually... Continue Reading →
6 biggest new ideas in chat
TechCrunch has a list of "big ideas emerging in web instant messaging as it stands today and the services that exemplify them." The list is available here, and is worth a read of libraries who are using or might want to use IM.
Extending a Librarian’s Reach
A colleague of mine just told me of a very positive experience that she had in an instant messaging transaction last week. A patron had contacted her via our IM reference service and was needing to find financial ratios for hypermarkets in France. This sounded like a pretty tough business question, and unfortunately I've been... Continue Reading →
Librarians and IM Survey
Michael is conducting a survey of librarians and IM. It took me all of two minutes to complete, so if you use IM (or not) for personal, professional, or reference purposes, take a couple of minutes to fill out the survey. He's "interested to see how many librarians are using IM at their... Continue Reading →
Marketing Virtual Reference
This is one way to get students to use your IM/Chat reference service. From the University of Mississippi Libraries: Chat with a Librarian and Win an iPod Shuffle! During the month of February every student or faculty/staff member who chats with a librarian will automatically be entered to win an iPod Shuffle. You don't have... Continue Reading →
IM Usage Growing
From a Computer World article, instant messaging is growing in the U.S. The article is a synopsis of a survey done by AOL. The article points that IM usage is growing, and not just among college students and teens. The article explains that IM usage in the workplace is becoming more common. According to the... Continue Reading →