"Gossip" by Norman Rockwell

Instant messaging is a powerful tool for quick communication and connection, and using IM, people grow diverse and context-sensitive forms of shorthand, or "information compression." It can also provide rehearsal in/on/around a particular idiom. Real-time writing provides us with the gift of "bad," off-topic, and "unprofessional" discourse to revise, as well--and that's a good thing. Using IM in the context of a class can help us quickly weave ideas together to form new ones. You will be forming "clusters" to work together on collaborative assignments, so to facilitate clustering, you will use IM to share links, talk about projects in terms of interest and feasibility given our constraints (15 week semester). Then you will post the script to the wiki. Each of you will perform this exercise with 3 different peers.

Here's a premise for you to consider: rhythm has not so much to do with a previously determined goal or a priori metric; rather, rhythm must emerge, in time. At passionate users,

computer programmer and programming instructor Kathy Sierra and software developer Dan Russell

argue, as many do, that different rhythms that can emerge when we volley text in chat clients. So, as you ready yourself for this exercise, consult these fundamentals of dialogue, then, clear your mind.

Consider the potential: most of us do not stare at a blank screen when trying to write an IM, while many of us do exactly that while trying to write a "paper". Letting themes emerge, and then tuning them towards the particular and appropriate idiom of a select audience or group of users, can we use IM and wiki to write "papers" that we can fold into our FinalProjects? How does a "paper" audience differ from an "IM" audience, even when they are the same person(s)?

Steps

1. if you don't have one already, find a chat client and channel that suits your needs:

Download AIM

or

Download GAIM

or install

Google Talk

or

Yahoo Messenger

or

MSN Messenger

or

Download Trillian. It works with AIM, Yahoo and MSN.

2. setting aside at least 15 minutes for each session, make contact with your peers, and write together in IM.

**3. post your IM scripts to your wiki space, where you can chisel out some professional discourse.