Sametime

Sametime is the only internet messaging (IM) which is allowed in office for communicating with fellow colleagues. It is an IM by IBM. It used to have very unfriendly GUI. Erm, to think of it, it does not used to have graphics, so it cannot be considered having a GUI then.

There is recently an upgrade and the upgraded version is similar in both look and feel to MSN and Yahoo Messenger. It makes one feel more comfortable chatting with it.

My boss has introduced this to me so that the whole team can still chat even when we are in meetings. This has even allowed my boss and I to exchange opinions in private of what the meeting is discussing, rather than speaking aloud for all to hear.

I have, in turn, introduced this to CY so that we can ‘discuss’ this without having to call or email each other. She was initially abit adamant for fear of me asking her a lot of questions, but later she gave in. Notwithstanding her concerns, I have continued to ask her questions on products which are not handled by her. On goodwill, she has also tried to help if she happens to know. Sometimes (I emphasize it is only SOMETIMES), we may talk about non-work related topics, but it is kept to the MINIMAL.

Sametime is really convenient as I can still work on other stuffs while I post questions to others. I find it hard to multitask while speaking to someone on the phone. Although for lengthy discussions, it is still best to meet or call the person.