Thing 7

I just recently turned off auto-check on my email, and I'm amazed at the difference. I've been using email professionally for the last 8 years, and I can't believe it's taken me this long to realize that I don't need to be notified the second I receive an email.

But as far as the other tools in this Thing, I am still somewhat amateurish. Our reference librarians use IM in addition to email, phone, and walk-in reference. When I've helped out at the reference desk, I always wondered if the patron expected me to answer instantly, or if a pause of several minutes was appropriate. We set up an automatic message saying something like "Hang on a minute while I help someone else," but I still feel extra pressure to be really quick with chat.

I don't make use of text messaging or chat in my personal communication; I guess if I did, that would help me feel more comfortable with the etiquette around these tools.