I really like using Instant Messenging, but lately I find myself having to turn it off. I’ll be typing something or reading my e-mail when the little box pops up.
“Can Sarah talk?”
“Sorry, she’s not here. I’ll have her call you when she gets home.”
“Awwwwww.”
You would think it’s over, but for the next 10-30 minutes I’ll have little smilie faces, balloons and deliberately misspelled messages popping up every few seconds. It’s not just one of her friends that does this either. It’s most of them. Part of me finds it funny but when I’m trying to get something done it is just too distracting. If it looks like I’m offline, I’m probably just hiding. You know I NEVER turn off my computer.
I like to keep it open for my husband and family to reach me anytime but I’ve started closing it some in the afternoons and Saturdays when the preteens are on the prowl.
Tell them to use Sarahs ID then block them.
That’s actually a pretty good idea.
Why don’t you close IM when you’re working – the messages will pile up in “offline format” for whomever signs back in. It doesn’t have to stay on all the time…
You can also create a different ID and sign in as that one.