IM You? IM me?

Article Writing & Marketing Insights

IM You? IM me?

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Instant Messaging over the past 5 years has changed the way we do business. …and today, I’m happy to report that we’ve now integrated the ability for you to tell us your IM address within your EzineArticles account profile.

Here are the 6 simple steps on how to add your IM platform and ID to your account in less than 15 seconds:

Step 1) Log in to your EzineArticles membership account.

Step 2) Click on ACCOUNT MANAGER

Step 3) Click on CHANGE ACCOUNT INFORMATION

Step 4) Scroll to the bottom of your account info and select your IM platform (AOL, Y!, MSN, or ICQ).

Step 5) Enter in your IM ID.

Step 6) Click on the SAVE CHANGES green button. You’re done!

We don’t have plans to support our members via IM; but wanted to take this first step at allowing authors to give us their IM platform and ID so that we could have the option of reaching out to them via IM if there is a time-sensitive account issue (clarification on a new submission, content originality disputes, or other account or article specific questions our editorial team may have from time to time).

IM IS A NO MARKETING ZONE: I don’t see the day of ever marketing via IM as I would be offended to be marketed to via IM. IM represents the last frontier of control over spam… so you can expect that when you give us your IM address, we will not disclose it to anyone, nor will we use it to market to you new product or services.

Do you IM? :?)

Posted by Christopher M. Knight on August 15, 2006 at 9:03 am

Views 674 |

8 Comments »

George Lockett writes:

Hi Chris

I have updated me IM Platform.

Was woundering if you may cansider intergreating an advice line system similar to what ingenio do on the internet, so that experts can be paid while talking?

http://www.ingenio.com

This could be a new profit centre as you could charge a serice charge and a payment could go to the expert?

Just a thought

George
HealerGeorge

Comment provided August 15, 2006 at 10:07 am

Ed Howes writes:

Hey Chris,

I hope we get a report on how many authors choose this feature, down the road a ways. Despite the fact that emilyhotbutt, natalie and others have seen my pic, received my Emails and think I’m hot, I have chosen not to use IM for a number of reasons. One, Im not a typist and would keep impatient people waiting too long. Two, the spammers named emily and natalie now trying to seduce me. I have responded telling them it’s Email or nothing. Some come back as failed deliveries, some do not and I have never had a response to an Email reply. Yet, the solicitations are more frequent, they come addressed to me and they are all MSN addresses. Is MSN spamming me to get me to sign up? That would not surprise me and I am planning to divorce MS in the not too distant future.

I see IM as worse than the telephone. I used to say any fool with a quarter can invade your privacy with a phone call. With IM, nobody needs the quarter. :-)

Comment provided August 15, 2006 at 10:10 am

Lance Winslow writes:

This is a very interesting thing you are doing, very progressive indeed, it makes sense really. It could be very valuable indeed in the future for something? Who knows what the future will bring?

Comment provided August 15, 2006 at 11:05 am

Pamela Beers writes:

I reserve IM for family chats only, at certain times of the day. Otherwise, I would be interrupted all the time. That’s why I turn off the ring on the phone and have an answering machine.

IM interrupts my writing and research. I find it annoying for the most part. However, I do like George’s idea of a paid advice line. As long as IM was organized with specified time slots, it would work for me.

I’m with Ed. I’d like to see a report on how many authors use this feature.

Hey Ed, you made me smile again with your EmilyHB fan.

Comment provided August 16, 2006 at 6:11 am

Ed Howes writes:

Pamela,

Thanks for confirming my hunches. Do I understand as suspected, one cannot turn it on and off on line? If one could cloak their online status, IM would be a very useful thing.

Comment provided August 16, 2006 at 8:27 am

Christopher M. Knight writes:

Ed H,

Yeah, you can cloak yourself with IM and that does increase its usefullness.

Example: Right now, I’m uncloaked to everyone at work and my friends all see me as offline (got work to do, you know). :)

Comment provided August 17, 2006 at 6:05 am

Ed Howes writes:

Chris,

Thanks for the info on behalf of Pamela, myself and probably many others. Is cloaking available universally and are there easy and easy to find instructions on doing so? I can see situations where I would be delighted by interruptions by certain people.

Comment provided August 17, 2006 at 10:40 am

Christopher M. Knight writes:

Ed H,

It’s part of your IM client.

In Yahoo IM (the one I use), it allows me to be INVISIBLE to all or only to those I want to be invisible to.

Check with your IM software that you use.

Comment provided August 17, 2006 at 10:53 am

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