I literally grew up using IM, and I sit on it all day long. Most people find it a major work distraction, but I’ve learned how to successfully blend it in with my entire life. For example, even though it means more interruptions during the workday, I also spend more time working on nights and weekends since I don’t feel the need to spend quite so much time on the phone and email catching up with distant friends I haven’t heard from in a while.

I work at home in my PJs most days, but over the years I’ve also done my best to build a network of peers (designers, programmers, sysadmins, marketers, etc) that I can ask for help instantly anytime I need it. We often share problems and war stories, and by learning from each other it makes for a form of distributed experiential education.

I have yet to adopt Twitter because I happen to like IM better. You can debate the differences, but at the end of the day they’re all just methods of communication. If you’re joining a new team, one of your first assignments should always be to figure out what forms of communication work best for each person. Then use them.