Communications Roundup

A year ago I did an inventory of all the social networks I belong to. Too many was the answer.

This morning on the bus I was thinking about all the communications tools I use.

1. Flickr. Sharing photos with friends and the world. I use this to document big things (like vacations) and also offer a stream of my everyday life. A couple of friends and I keep in touch with each other almost entirely through flickr.

2. Blogs and Newsreader. Only my most loyal family and friends read the random thoughts on this very blog, but I read a lot of their postings via my newsreader.

3. Facebook. I'm not that into this service, but some of my friends (Ben, Dorth, some random girls I've met) use it as their primary mechanism to communicate with me.

4. Twitter. I'm kind of ambivalent about this service, but I can see why some people really like it. I'm mostly connected to my new Flickr colleagues on this.

5. Instant Messenger. Mostly for work and a few of my work friends, occasionally my brother and his kids via I-chat and a webcam.

6. SMS. Mostly supplemental communication, on the go.

7. Work Email. My least favorite thing in the whole world, via Microsoft Outlook.

8. Pneumatic tubes. In my dreams.

9. Web email. Everything else.


Am I missing anything? Is there any point to tools like Plaxo that attempt to aggregate some or all of these?

Is it any wonder that I often wish to disconnect from several of these?