IMs, E-mail, and SL

What do you think people you don't know expect when they IM you with just a "hi" or something similar? I'm curious because I wonder if people think I'm being rude when I don't respond, when I'm not in-world. To me, IM is sort of the telephone of the SL world, so it seems analagous to someone leaving me a voicemail that just says "hi". And I'm the kind of person who doesn't usually pick up his phone if he doesn't recognize the number on the caller ID. I thought maybe they were trying to see if I was online, but no one ever says "Oh I see you're not online I'll try you later' or something like that, so I'm not sure that fits. I'm honestly not sure what's going on, socially speaking.

Speaking of SL communications, something that's interesting to me is the number of residents who don't want to use outside e-mail. If I think I'm going to be talking to someone much, I usually try to exchange e-mails because I'm out of SL much more than I'm in SL, and talking in chat can be annoying anyway. And even in the real world I find e-mail to be better than the phone for a lot of things. You don't have to syncrhonize your schedules, for one, and it's easier to be clear, give links, etc. But a number of people I've offered to exchange e-mails with have said they prefer to talk in SL. My guess is it's a matter of perception of SL. I don't tend to see SL as really seperate from everything else, anymore than I see the Emailaverse as being all that seperate from the Webaverse or the Telephonaverse. Actually I tend to see SL's current isolation as artificial and unfortunate. But I'm thinking people who avoid e-mail do tend to see SL more as a seperate world, and they want to avoid breaking an immersive illusion. Or maybe it's something else entirely, I'd be interested in other explanations.

I tend to use a shorter initial greeting, rather than typing out a long message only to still be ignored, or have the person log out half-way through typing it.

But then again, I never ignore anyone messaging me, whoever they may be... and I know not everyone shares that courtesy.

Lewis

I do exactly the opposite. I'd rather have a message that says "here's what I need or am asking" rather than one that says "call me back so we can talk about something." Ergo I have the courtesy to at least mention a topic and possible solution so that the person isn't calling me back blind. If they don't call back at all, that's their loss.

On a general note, what really grates my nerves are greeting that tell me the time of day and current status of sick puppies before finally getting to a list of available hours and emergency numbers so that I can leave a message for them sometime in 2011.

I figure they are testing to see if I am there with a quick "hi" in IM. It doesn't bother me. I just IM back "How may I help you?" and the ball is back in thier court.

Can't you look someone up in the find to determine if they are online?

I don't mind, but if I get something vague from someone I don't know or don't recognize, I pull a profile and try to figure it out. Then I get sidetracked and 2 hours later realize I never responded.

Maybe it's because I come from a business environment, but I prefer to look up and see if someone is on line, then send them a compact summary of my question, etc. I only send compact summaries if the person is offline.

This is what I prefer to receive too. I once received 12 offline IMs to my e-mail which basically read #1 hi #2 r u online #3 can I ask you something #4 ... You get the drift. Since I was feeling particularly cranky that day I replied with 8 single line IMs after checking to see if they were off. Considering that it was an e-mail asking me a favor, I don't feel too bad.

Anyway, I try to always treat other people's time as being as important as my own.

I encourage IM's; I have met some great friends that I wouldn't have otherwise. I've also been amused by some dandy losers...

Whaddaya have to lose for cryin' in the night?

I'll tell you a reason that somtimes tempts me to turn off IM --> email. People will IM "hi" and get back a message telling them that I'm offline. Then they'll commence to sending me twenty-eight one-liners rather than typing a couple of paragraphs. Twenty-nine emails later I can finally respond to them if I can remember what they were talking about in the first seventeen.

Get a brain people.

Haha I said "people."

Hmmm, I may change my mind after my popularity skyrockets...

I don't mind the IM's that just say hi, I'm just curious about why people send them. Something Gabe said suggests a possibility to me. Maye they send the IM to see if I'm online and get my attention, and then just forget about it when I don't respond immediately. I notice that a lot of time when I check someone's profile, their online status says Unknown. I know that people juggle different IMs and conversations at the same time. And I've had people IM me, and then when I get back to them, they don't immediately remember what I'm talking about.

I am so going to spam your IM

I think in SL I'm a lot friendlier than I am everywhere else. heh

If someone IM's me with a simple "Hi" and I happen to be online to get it, I'll respond back the same way and let them say what they want. I've met some nice people that way a few times, been hit on that way a few times (almost always an ego boost) and had some rather odd conversations a few times.

When I get the offline "Hi"'s to my email I at least try to remember to IM the person back to ask how I can help them because I'm aware 99% of the time these days it's going to be a customer with a question.

Now like I said, I'm not as friendly elsewhere. lol
In my skype profile it as of today actually says..."If you don't know me don't contact me. All but current friends will be ignored, please respect this." This is because every once in awhile on skype talking with a friend I get lameass messages like this...... (this one was this morning..paraphrasing a tad from memory)(I was in voice with my friend and the chat window popped up)
Some guy: "Hi."
Allana: "I'm busy talking with a friend, sorry."
Some guy: "I want to get to know you."
Allana: "I said I'm busy, in conversation, sorry."
Some guy: "How old are you?"
Some guy: "I'm 34 tall single and looking."
Allana: "I'm 75, 900lbs and not, bye."
Some guy: "lol cute"
Some guy: "come on dont you wanna talk"
Some guy: "where you at anyway"
Some guy: "ur bein rude"
Allana: "Go get laid on AOL"
BLOCKED

What I really don't understand is when I'm talking on skype and it rings and there is some name I don't recognize. Someone out of the blue who doesn't know me just cold calling me. I could never do this no matter how bored I was haha. I dont understand why people do it.