ACM Queue reports on an AT&T labs study on IM use

We found evidence of two styles of use, only one of which is currently widely acknowledged. In the interactions we monitored involving people who either infrequently use IM or rarely communicate with each other, we discovered that messages tended to focus chiefly on scheduling and coordination matters and that the conversations were slow paced and involved little threading or multitasking. Frequent IM users, on the other hand, tended to use IM more as a tool for collaboration, with discussions covering a broad range of topics via many fast-paced interactions%u2014each with many short turns in the conversation, much threading, and a predisposition towards multitasking. Although people consistent with our "light user" profile have until now been generally regarded as typical of all IM users, our research suggests that the majority of IM traffic actually involves heavy users working collaboratively to address complex, work-specific problems.

We've been talking in our office about ways to introduce IM to people who aren't using it now as part of our new network implementation, so this is timely useful information.

...via cyfernet_technology