I am no fan of Instant Messaging (IM). I find it both useless and horribly proprietary.

I used it on one project, some months ago. It was mandatory. The boss wanted us to have a back-channel while we talked to the client by telephone. (That's IM running on a Palm Tungsten, from the maker of a Palm-based IM client called Jabber.)

For me it was a disaster. I like to concentrate during conference calls and often leave my desk. I walk around, sometimes even lie down. This took me out of the IM.

Then there was the worker who insisted on using IM for non-business conversations. He would go on-and-on about what to me was absolute nonsense -- politics, personal issues, office politics. It was as though we were working in the same room, and he was chattering right in my ear. It was horrible.

But IM can be useful. If you're working with, say, an Indian partner, it can save a ton of money. But while a small business can switch among IM systems quickly, depending on who they're doing business with, big companies always commit to with Yahoo, Microsoft, or AOL.

Now those three companies are finally getting down to the job of having their systems interoperate. Instead of trying to lock-up big customers they will finally compete based on features.

But IM in business will never reach its potential until everyone using it internalizes a new form of etiquette. Knowing when and how to use it (as well as when and how not to) is essential to making this a productivity tool.