IM chat logs have even been used in court cases as evidence! This is why, for some, chat logs can be a headache. If your network administrator and/or supervisor has access to your chat logs, and you have been using the IM chat client to communicate in such a way that is against company policy, then chat logs may ‘catch you in the act’. This could lead to a reprimand, such as less vacation days or no chance for flex time, but can also lead up to termination, depending on each individual company’s policy.

For whatever use a hosted IM client and chat logs may be to you, make sure that you remember that your conversations could be monitored and come back to haunt you. A good rule of thumb is, if you wouldn’t say it out loud or to your manager directly (or to your grandmother), then you probably shouldn’t be saying it in IM at all.

As of right now, I am laying on a couch, watching the movie Twilight, yet I am also still ‘working’ as I am typing this. Through the use of a wireless router and a laptop, I literally have a ‘mobile office’– able to work and write anywhere, as long as I have an internet connect. 

The popularity of this type of mobile work, I believe, is part of the entire movement of virtual networking. Besides having ‘mobile offices’, I believe that hosted instant messaging is also part of this communication moviement- the abilty to talk to anyone, anywhere, at any time, as long as they are online as well. 

Instant messaging, along with wireless networking, gives anyone the flexibility to go and travel where they want without having to worry about being near a phone outlet. And now, wireless networking is continuing to expand. You can now type documents, write emails, visit websites, and even use instant messaging, all from a cell phone. Now, you don’t even need a computer to have a ‘mobile office’. 

It’s important to think about the possibilities when it comes to wireless networking and instant messaging in particular. Not being held down by wires can only enhance productivity and open up an entirely new world when it comes to how anyone can communicate with clients, friends, and co-workers.