I'm pretty sure I'm not alone when I say that when I log on to any computer, I immediately go to gmail.com. I check to see if I have any new messages and then create a new tab for whatever other Web site I go to.
In the past two years that I've had gmail, it's become a minor obsession. I can easily see when I have a new message. And the best part of gmail? Gchat.
For anyone who doesn't have a gmail account, gchat is very much like AOL instant messenger. The difference is that once you e-mail someone with a gmail account from your gmail account, their name shows up in a "chat" box on the left side of the screen. One can then message any of their contacts when online. In AIM, one has to ask for a screen name and add the person manually. But gchat does it automatically and you talk to 'Joe Smith' instead of joeysmithdawg35 on AIM.
So how does this relate to journalism? E-mail is of course used to stay in touch with sources. And when both the reporter and the source have gmail, they are in each other's contact boxes. This summer, I had a source gchat me with something he forgot to tell me during the interview (I just saw his name in my chat box, which made me think of the idea for this post). It caught me off guard. But it was helpful.
I think it is OK for a source to tell me something quickly on gchat, or set up an interview if I was somewhere quiet and I had met the source previously. But if this is a trend and it continues, I think gchat might become a sort of crutch for journalists, just like some people like to use e-mail instead of picking up a phone.
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7 comments:
I never thought of using gchat to contact a source, but it is an interesting idea that I will probably use in the future. It is an interesting and informal way to contact a source than an e-mail or a phone call and makes for a more informal "setting." I also have Gmail and that is the first Web site that I open when I am on a computer.
Do you ever feel burdened by seeing that green dot that shows your contact is online? I've considered opting out of using gchat just so I can be signed on without my contacts knowing.
That's an interesting idea. In my reporting internship this summer, we used gmail for our e-mail accounts but I don't think anyone gchated a source. I don't know if I would like my sources knowing I'm online. I would be worried they would want to keep contacting me to add more information or correct what they said earlier. Gchat makes it a lot easier for them to get in touch with you, which, I suppose, doesn't have to be a bad thing. Call me cynical, but I think sources would abuse it more than they would help you with your story.
Good topic. This is interesting. It is nice that this worked out well for you, but I must say that I hope it does not become a trend for journalists. For me, nothing is better than sitting down face to face with a source. One of my favorite parts of an interview is reading a person's facial expressions and seeing their reactions. I might be old school, but nothing replaces one-on-one communication!
As always, I am out of the loop on this crazy new technology. I think I have a gmail account, but have never really used it. Well, I'll have to investigate this immediately. Very interesting.
I've really considered e-mail an acceptable means of interviewing a source. And I've never even considered using gchat. Come to think of it, I don't even have any instant messaging programs installed on my computer. I guess I'm just old-fashioned; I want to see and hear who I'm talking to. E-mails and chat transcript leave out too much context to be the most reliable way to interview a source.
I don't think using gchat or aim is acceptable for interviewing sources, but I do think it is an option for contacting sources if you have been on a beat and you know the person.
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