Incommunicado A follow up.

The no messenger status didn’t last very long. I missed the automatic signing in. The new email notifications. What I didn’t miss was the chatting with random people. Random doesn’t mean these people are total strangers where I couldn’t even tell the sex of the person for sure. These are people I know. I have either studied/worked/travelled/even blogged with at some point of time. What makes them random is that I know they are around only when they need to be.

The most offensive co-chatters to me are the ones that ping me while they appear offline especially at Yahoo.The most common reason cited for hiding is that there are too many people signed into their own messenger. Most of whom they would like to avoid and hence the invisibility. For me this only spells arrogance. I am not honoured that they have chosen to chat with to me. I think they have taken me for granted. I am sure people have their reasons to avoid confrontations on messenger. I am no one to judge why they have a need to hide, but please have to the courtesy to sign in before you take up my screen space with no warning what so ever.

The second kind of co-chatters that make me unconfortable are the ones who invariably tell you that the only reason thatthey are chatting with you is because they are bored, or are waiting for some programme to work or file to download and hence decided to amuse themselves. I would really like to be paid for providing such free entertainment, but seriously find your jollies else where. What bothers me is not so much that these people totally lack manners and sensitivty but the fact that I know I will never really care for such people. I then loathe the fact that I even bother to say hullo to them.

I am not very good with empty chatter. So if I have nothing to say to some one I don’t see why chatting cannot end after few pleasantries. What is the point of continous ‘what else?/aur kya? aur sunao?’ beats me. But some people insist. And then when I do rattle off the mundane details of my life they don’t seem interested and suddenly have to go. That always amuses me. Actually I now use this strategy as an effective weapon.

I think I have had a chatting addiction for a long time. My lists have atleast 100 odd people in each. Everytime I sign in atleast 7-8 people are always signed. Some who never initiate or respond. Some who were never on their desk when you pinged them. And some that will always drop in a hi everytime you sign-in. I enjoy talking to people. For me chatting is only a medium. As long as it is serving its purpose I am happy. But when chatting becomes a fashion statement if you know what I mean, it is then that I have a problem with it.

So for now, the chat thingies are back and the message to all my co-chatters, I talk on chat not chat.