Spring 2010 classes start. We continue IMing strong!

Another spring semester begins on Tuesday, January 19 and ends Sunday, May 16th.
The Spring IM schedule is posted to the left. BIG thanks to everyone who is a returning IM volunteer and a BIG welcome to our new volunteers!

If you have any questions during the semester, please send me an e-mail (sowens@austincc.edu) or consult the Wiki IM page at http://acclswiki.austincc.edu/cm/wiki/?id=38776. Of course, you can always consult another IMer for help!

Please share your questions, answers, comments and instant messaging experiences here so we can all learn from them! If you need posting-privileges, let me know and give me your google e-mail address so I can add you.

Have a wonderful semester and Happy New Year!

Sylvia Owens

Fall 2009 classes start. Happy IMing!

Fall 2009 classes start. Happy IMing!

Another fall semester has begun today and will continue through December 13th. The IM schedule is posted to the left, so thanks again to everyone who volunteers to participate to provide this service.

If you have questions, please send me an e-mail (sowens@austincc.edu) or consult the Wiki IM page at http://acclswiki.austincc.edu/cm/wiki/?id=38776

If you have any comments about your experience with instant messaging, share them in this blog. If you need posting-privileges, let me know and give me your google e-mail address so I can add you.

Have a wonderful semester!

Meebo Notifier: add it to your Ref-Desk computer

Usually the only way Meebo notified you of a chat coming in is by ringing a bell. We don't have speakers or headphones at the Refederence Desks, so that caused us to miss some questions. The Meebo folks just came up with a solution for that: Meebo Notifier (http://www.meebo.com/notifier/). Download it to your respective ref desk computer and it will give you a visual cue of when a chat is coming in (a little pop-up box on the lower right hand side). Now you can minimize the browoser window and do other work with out worrying about missing incoming chats.

One important thing:

• The default for Meebo Notifier is to open when you first turn on the computer. DISABLE that feature. Right click on the Meebo Notifier icon. Go to Preferences and de-select 'Launch Meebo Notifier when Windows starts'.

Enjoy.

Recent meebo changes

Meebo made some changes this morning, and one of them removed the saved custom away messages. Check out the new changes at the meeblog http://blog.meebo.com/?p=1455

Reading through the comments, this is a very unpopular change, so hopefully they will restore that feature. In the mean time, if you want to use the custom message saying that you're away, try the Chat feature, you'll have to copy and paste the text. I've posted it below so that we can get to it quickly.

I've stepped away for a moment. I should be right back, but if you're in a hurry you can chat with an ACC librarian at http://server.iad.liveperson.net/hc/18190403/?cmd=file&file=visitorWantsToChat&site=18190403&byhref=1

Spring 2009 classes start. Happy IMing

The spring semester has started. You can consult the IM schedule to the left of these posts. If you have a question don't hesitate to send me an e-mail (sochoa@austincc.edu) or consult the Wiki IM page at http://acclswiki.austincc.edu/cm/wiki/?id=38776 If you have any comments about your experience with IM go ahead and share them in this blog, and if you don't yet have posting-privileges in this blog, let me know and give me your google e-mail address so I can add you.

Happy Spring IM

-Saidah

IM in for Informing

Yesterday afternoon, I had an IM. The student didn't have a question but a request to let someone know that there was someone who was drinking in the library. Student was at RVS (I was monitoring IM from EVC) but I called RVS Librarian to let her know that there was tea-sipper in the stacks.

Tea-Sipper was imbibing from a can of tea (or at least we think it was tea in that can) he was hiding under the desk. Student wanted to report Tea-Sipper but didn't want Tea-Sipper to know Student was the informant.

RVS Librarian was on the scene in a matter of seconds and asked Tea-Sipper to store his can at the front of the library and not under the desk.

Situation resolved with the power of IM!

Meebo oddness

Something weird has been going on with Meebo the last couple of weeks. When I sign in, it doesn't populate the buddy list, which makes me think that I'm not actually signed on. BUT on my own buddy list, AccLibrarian is showing as signed on. Over time more and more of my buddies appear in my buddy list, but usually as they sign on or off.

Apparently when this happens I am logged on and all of my buddies can see me in their buddy list, I just can't see them. I don't see this as too big of a problem because the most important thing is that they be able to contact us, but it did worry me until I figured out what was going on. At least one other person has mentioned that this happened to them, so I wanted to give everyone a heads up.