I fear the iChat is a post on The Hickensian

I’ve had rather a lot of complaints in the last month or so that I don’t open iChat often enough. In fact – I’m never online – period. I don’t want to play the whining “Busy freelance designer with a young family” card yet again, but I’m going to have to. Every time I open iChat, about 4 messages pop up, inquiring “Are you there Hicks?!!”. Then I get embroiled in some gentle chit chat, and another 5 pop up – “Instant message from ToastMan27072”, etc. Before I know it, a day has passed with no work done. At the moment I have SO much work on, I shouldn’t even be writing this, let alone indulging in fripperies such as iChatting. Its not a nice feeling though, I feel as if I’m missing out.

What I really liked about iChat was just seeing that other people were alive and OK. Checking out what Jeremy’s playing, admiring Dan’s new buddy icon. Its like seeing a life support readout for all your friends – there all there, there all OK.

Anyway, can you blame me for my fear, when you get things like this? This is an iChat with a ‘client’, where we were discussing a logo design. Somehow, instant messaging doesn’t seem like the best tool for communication. (The clients buddy icon has been changed to protect their identity…)