Putting friends on your IM leash

I’m not much of an IM guy, but lately I’ve been kinda digging it. Twitter has helped, but I’ve been finding IM to be really handy for quick check-ins and questions that aren’t too bothersome. Also, I will admit that it can turn into a bit of a timesink if you let it.

I learned a trick today that’s apparently been around a while. You can use your IM client on your computer to send messages to cell phones. There are also a bunch of websites that do this if you want to sign up for yet another service where you have to remember to go back to the site to send a message. I don’t want to.

Here’s the trick. First, you gotta have an AIM account. It’s free so go ahead. You also (duh) have to have an IM (aka, chat) client installed on your machine. On the Mac I like AdiumX. On a PC I like Trillian.

Okay, now you just need someone’s phone number. Add a new AIM contact in this format: +1areacodephonenumber. So phone number 321-976-1234 will be: +13219761234. Send a message. Your friend’s phone is now on your leash. Be sure to tell them this, they love it.

I’ve hooked a few coworkers into this by sending a regular IM that tells them about the trick. Then I ask for their cell number to  show them it works. I send them a test message, they trip out a little, then I tell them that they’re on my leash now. Then they REALLY trip out! Fun for the whole family!

This can actually be useful, too. I work with a few folks who don’t do IM, but do have their cell phones on all the time. Now I’ve got ‘em on my leash whenever I need them in my IM buddy list!