Aaron talks some more about good and bad parts to using IM at the library. I think I like using IM [even for work stuff] for some of the reasons other people hate it: I can carry on multiple conversations at once, I can make communication even shorter [no "Hi, this is Jessamyn, how are you..." and I have both my ears free. The phone seems to use up talking and listening for me, whereas reading and typing seem like more of the same input/output mechanism.