Communication Technologies
I said I was going to write more about my chat with François Schiettecatte of Feedster. The more I think about how I want to do it, the more it seems like it’s going to come out fragmented over a few days. Don’t look for me to reveal any secrets about Feedster, though.
As you might know, much of Feedster is located on the other side of the country with one or two stops in the middle. They use communication tools quite a bit. François enlightened me with his thoughts on communication technologies.
Some of you know the Feedster folks use instant messaging quite a bit. François mentioned that he finds it quite disruptive. I don’t find it as disruptive as, say, a phone call or someone walking into an office. But, from what other people tell me, I’m also amazingly good at multitasking (I’m IMing now. Can you tell?), I’m used to working in environments with lots of disruptions, and I work with a lot of people outside of my office.
I don’t think I’d be very good with video technology. François mentioned it’s distracting to him when people he’s talking to are doing other things or acting like they aren’t paying attention. Most people who’ve seen me can tell you I don’t seem to pay attention in person. Staring deep into a Webcam is probably beyond my attention span.
Skype is something François has used with some luck. He advises making sure the speakers are decent. Maybe I’ll come up with some excuse to talk to him via Skype so I can finally use it and evaluate it.
