Instant Messanger Etiquette

Several times the thought of, what is proper instant messanger etiquette has crossed my mind. It is a somewhat new form of communication, and the rules of standard communication don't seem to fit well to it.

If a person is at a social gathering, and sees someone in the same room they know, it is common courtesy to walk over, say hello, and engage in a little small talk. If you are walking past a friend in a public place, it is expected that you say hello, but further talk isn't always as expected, since often times it involves two people rushing from place to place.

This brings forth the dilemma of IMs. If someone is online as often as I am, and many of my friends are, are you obliged to say hello every time somone logs onto an IM? Do you engage in small talk every day? Do you just IM when you have something pertanant to say? Do you just play a game of hit and miss?

All these questions I ponder, and I have no solution. Therefore, I feel the need to make my official Instant Messanger Doctrine. A set of guidlines, but not rules. Just a list of things that I shall do, so that others understand my views and actions.

• I will avoid IMing someone the second they log on, unless it is of great importance. Many of us check our e-mail through an IM program. I will give the person a brief time period to check their mail, before dinging them with the IM for random talk.
• I won't constantly IM somone who never seems to IM me initially. Some people just don't want to be bothered all the time. Its hard to judge when you are online constantly, like myself. It is more or less an alternation pattern. I message them, they message me.

Hmmm... thought I had more than that. Just know I will not IM people instantly just because they came online, but I would also like it to be known, that 95% of the time you see my screen name as being logged on, I'm open to chat.