Yesterday I entered into an Instant Messaging chat with people from Ankara, Minneapolis, and other places. We used Skype and talked about web-based art in preparation for ISEA next August. I use IM occasionally.  The chat becomes like a dance to the beats of the inbox chime. The thread moves off the window quickly. If you don't immediately push out a three-word-gut-response: you are out of sync with the rhythm of the conversation. There were about five of us. I decided to respond to one post; purposefully holding out on the many other ones that constantly popped up. The exchange becomes like a back and forth referencing machine. If I hesitate even for 40 seconds to press to send button- I'm already hopelessly behind the flash of constantly new ideas that flicker up. It's a bit like in a Woody Allen movie with actors persistently talking across each other and on top of each other. It's as if lights flash up and you are supposed to hit the right response button. The beauty of this rapid response system, for me, is  in the quick informal exchange of links. During the hour of the chat we occasionally  dropped in URLs. This was beautiful. I clicked, browsed these sites a bit under the chat window and returned to the conversation. This could be called "turbo interfacing." Reflection or thinking is not possible in such a zippy environment. Forget about conveying emotionality. The words become empty and a selection of emoticons is supposed to fix that. But then, introducing those slows down the exchange. They are also somewhat unrefined. Later in the day I walked on Broadway in Manhattan to get to a meeting and still felt like in that chat room. The physical world equivalent to IM would be each person on Broadway asking me a question in passing; expecting a response. While moving onward the questions of those left behind are still leaping.  It's a flood of information. In Zurich I met Hung Keung who is an artist and professor in Hong Kong. He reported how it was nearly impossible to make students discuss class topics over IM. At the same time they were using IM daily to share their lives; talk about music etc. I am not surpised. I found it difficult as well.
On blogs, in different ways, we gather information that is hard to interface. The categories and  archive features don't really work in allowing us broad, easy access to the information that is stored there. A blog like we make money not art adds the tags that also blogs like technorati offer, to the top of the front page.