I do most of my business (professional and personal) in e-mail.
I came to the conclusion that there are two types of communication technologies:
- Preemptive: Things like telephones and IM require that you stop doing task A and switch to task B.
- Non-preemptive: E-mail is cooperative, with respect to other tasks. It can sit for a little while, and you can respond when feasible (and at all times of the day or night)
I have found that IM is so preemptive that I can't get any work done. I have people approach me regularly, angry that I'm not on IM -- my response is: "If you want something done, send me an e-mail. If it's urgent, call me". I find that I'm 2 to 3 times as productive with IM shut down.
My take on twitter is that it is descending in to yet another level of preemption. Information provided in real time only has value if processed in real time. But I propose that twitter is TOO MUCH information. I just don't think I care about what someone is thinking or doing enough to want to get updates several times per day. And if I do? There's always E-MAIL.
Discussion on:
Message 12 of 1
The best of ZDNet, delivered
ZDNet Newsletters
Get the best of ZDNet delivered straight to your inbox
