Skype made a liar of me. It wasn't that I was "Not Available"; I was. Just not to you.

Skype and other IM presence is a broadcast tool, telling the universe how approachable I want you to think I am. But that doesn't work if I have more than one kind of person in my world. I may be available to my family, but not to that pariah of a cousin who I don't speak with at all. I'm available at work, but my chain of command comes first, my team comes second, except that my mentor can get through at any time.

So presence is a blunt tool and I wind up lying, saying I'm not available when I really am, just to fend off strangers for an hour or two of writing. I know I'm not alone.

Lying devalues presence. If we don't trust it, we'll ignore it. and it ceases to inform my choice to call now.

So what can you do about it?

• Lie less. Or at least less often. Hope that colleagues, acquaintances, friends, and strangers guess well.
  
• Fragment your networks. Keep your family on Microsoft Live Messenger and your work on Skype, for example, so your presence is tailored to each group. 
  
• Knock before calling. Start with a "Can you talk" chat. It's polite, and also a presence check. This is like texting someone before chewing up their mobile minutes.
  

What can Skype do about it? Lots, but that's another post.

Technorati Tags: skype, skypejournal, presence, ebay, truth, digitalid, netiquette