Age:
Sex: Male
Female

Years of education (high school freshman = 9; college freshman = 13; first year grad school = 17):
Please type in the organization/institution you are now associated with either as a student or worker:

For how long have you used the Internet? years (example: 2.5)
Per day, how many hours do you spend watching television? (example: 3.5)
Per day, how many minutes do you spend using e-mail?
Per day, how many minutes do you spend on the phone?
Per day, how many minutes do you spend downloading music or other files?
Per day, how many minutes do you spend browsing the Web?
Per day, how many minutes do you spend playing on-line interactive computer games?

What is your favorite interactive game?

Do you use or have you ever used any sort of Instant Messaging service, such as AOL Instant Messenger, ICQ, or Internet Relay Chat?

Yes
No

Please rate how you feel about the following statements, from strongly disagree to strongly agree.

	strongly disagree	disagree	neutral/ no opinion	agree	strongly agree
IM is a waste of time.
Meaningful conversations can happen over IM.
IM tends to facilitate superficial communication.

If you do not use IM, or once did and no longer do, why not? Do you feel pressure from friends to use it?

If you do not currently use IM, please scroll to the bottom and press the "submit" button. If you do use IM, please continue.

Check all that you have ever used:

America Online Instant Messenger
Microsoft Messenger
IRC
ICQ
Yahoo Messenger
Other:

If you currently use any of these regularly (at least once a week), check all that apply:

America Online Instant Messenger
Microsoft Messenger
IRC
ICQ
Yahoo Messenger
Other:

What is the primary IM program you use?

America Online Instant Messenger
Microsoft Messenger
IRC
ICQ
Yahoo Messenger
Other:

How long have you had this program? years (example 1.25)
How many handles/screennames do you have?
How many people do you have on your "buddy list?"
How many of those people do you talk to regularly?
How many people do you have blocked, if any?
How many "away messages" have you saved, if any?
Do you use different screennames to talk to different people? Yes No
Do you have other screennames that not all of your buddies know? Yes No
Do you have more than one email account? Yes No

For how many hours per day are you signed on to IM (example: 2.75)? hours
For how long per day are you actively using IM (i.e. talking with people)? minutes
On average, how long is your typical IM conversation? minutes

When I chat on IM, I chat with

	never	once in a while	sometimes	often	all the time
parents
siblings
other relatives
close real-life friends
close online friends
real-life acquaintances
online acquaintances
strangers I find using IM
people who are very far away
people who are within visiting distance
people in the same building

When I chat on-line, I regularly ...

	Yes	No
... use IM to see check others' away messages/profiles
...check someone's away message to help determine the user's whereabouts or plans
... use IM to send files
... use IM for work-related purposes
... save IM conversations
... use emoticons (aka "smileys") when chatting
... use abreviations and slang when chatting with buddies
… check someone's away message/member profile to gage the person's mood.
… find myself checking most or all of the away messages/member profiles put up by users on my buddy list
... monitor the away messages/member profiles of other users with whom I do not chat
… check away messages/member profiles as a way to anonymously "spy" on another user.
… read multiple users' away messages/member profiles when I'm bored or procrastinating.

The percent of time that ...

...I am having serious conversations on IM is 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
...I have IM conversations just to say hi is 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
...I initiate conversations on IM is 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
...another person initiates the IM conversation is 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
...I have only one conversation at a time is 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
...I have two conversations at a time is 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
...I have three or more conversations at a time is 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%

My typical IM conversation is:

one-on-one
in a chat room with three or more people

My IM conversations are typically made up of:

quick sentence fragments
complete thoughts and ideas

When I put up away messages, it is because:

I don't want to be bothered
I'm actually away  

Please rate how you feel about the following statements, from strongly disagree to strongly agree.

	strongly disagree	disagree	neutral/ no opinion	agree	strongly agree
I have kept in contact with people I wouldn't have if not for IM.
I feel more connected to far-away friends with IM than I would have if not for IM.
I feel I have overall been more social than I would be if I did not use IM.
I feel that I am more connected with the outside world when I am signed onto IM.
There are people I only communicate with on IM; that is our only means of communication.
I have more contact with real-life friends who use the same IM service I do than with those who do not.

  

Is it appropriate to perform the following actions on IM? Have you done them? (Please answer both sets of questions.)

	This is appropriate.	This is not appropriate.	I have done this.	I have not done this.
Chatting with someone while having another conversation in person
Flirting/coming onto people
Asking someone out
Having an erotic discussion
Telling someone "I love you" for the first time
Breaking up with someone
Having an argument
Initiating chat with a stranger
Pretending to be someone else
Lying about yourself (gender, age, position, etc)
Messaging people just to harass them
Messaging people from another screenname to harass them without them knowing who you are
Harassing someone you don't know

 

When discussing serious personal issues, it can be more appropriate to:

use email than to use IM. Yes No
use IM than to use email. Yes No

In terms of how I present myself through IM, I put thought into my:

	Yes	No
profile
away messages
buddy icon

In terms of how I present myself through IM, I often change my:

	Yes	No
profile
away messages
buddy icon

In terms of how I present myself through IM, I feel people can learn about my personality from my:

	Yes	No
profile
away messages
buddy icon

I want my away messages to...

amuse people Yes No
be practical Yes No

In terms of how much I reveal to others over IM,

	Yes	No
I have put my e-mail address on my profile
I have put my e-mail address on my away messages
I have put my real name on myn profile
I have put my real name on my away messages
I have put my phone number on my profile
I have put my phone number on my away messages

I have told strangers personal information (such as name or phone number) over IM: Yes No

Final question: In our study, we are trying to find out how people use IM. Is there anything we haven't covered? Why did you decide to get IM? What do you use it for? How has it affected your relations with friends and others?

The Following 50 items include phrases describing people's behaviors. Please use the rating scale below to describe how accurately each statement describes you. Describe yourself as you generally are now, not as you wish to be in the future. Describe yourself as you honestly see yourself, in relation to other people you know of the same sex as you are, and roughly your same age. So that you can describe yourself in an honest manner, your responses will be kept in absolute confidence. Please read each statement carefully, and then fill in the bubble that corresponds to the number on the scale.

Very Inaccurate Moderately Inaccurate Neither Inaccurate nor Accurate Moderately Accurate Very Accurate	Am the life of the party.
Very Inaccurate Moderately Inaccurate Neither Inaccurate nor Accurate Moderately Accurate Very Accurate	Feel little concern for others.
Very Inaccurate Moderately Inaccurate Neither Inaccurate nor Accurate Moderately Accurate Very Accurate	Am always prepared.
Very Inaccurate Moderately Inaccurate Neither Inaccurate nor Accurate Moderately Accurate Very Accurate	Get stressed out easily.
Very Inaccurate Moderately Inaccurate Neither Inaccurate nor Accurate Moderately Accurate Very Accurate	Have a rich vocabulary.
Very Inaccurate Moderately Inaccurate Neither Inaccurate nor Accurate Moderately Accurate Very Accurate	Don't talk a lot.
Very Inaccurate Moderately Inaccurate Neither Inaccurate nor Accurate Moderately Accurate Very Accurate	Am interested in people.
Very Inaccurate Moderately Inaccurate Neither Inaccurate nor Accurate Moderately Accurate Very Accurate	Leave my belongings around.
Very Inaccurate Moderately Inaccurate Neither Inaccurate nor Accurate Moderately Accurate Very Accurate	Am relaxed most of the time.
Very Inaccurate Moderately Inaccurate Neither Inaccurate nor Accurate Moderately Accurate Very Accurate	Have difficulty understanding abstract ideas.
Very Inaccurate Moderately Inaccurate Neither Inaccurate nor Accurate Moderately Accurate Very Accurate	Feel comfortable around people.
Very Inaccurate Moderately Inaccurate Neither Inaccurate nor Accurate Moderately Accurate Very Accurate	Insult people.
Very Inaccurate Moderately Inaccurate Neither Inaccurate nor Accurate Moderately Accurate Very Accurate	Pay attention to details.
Very Inaccurate Moderately Inaccurate Neither Inaccurate nor Accurate Moderately Accurate Very Accurate	Worry about things.
Very Inaccurate Moderately Inaccurate Neither Inaccurate nor Accurate Moderately Accurate Very Accurate	Have a vivid imagination.
Very Inaccurate Moderately Inaccurate Neither Inaccurate nor Accurate Moderately Accurate Very Accurate	Keep in the background.
Very Inaccurate Moderately Inaccurate Neither Inaccurate nor Accurate Moderately Accurate Very Accurate	Sympathize with others' feelings.
Very Inaccurate Moderately Inaccurate Neither Inaccurate nor Accurate Moderately Accurate Very Accurate	Make a mess of things.
Very Inaccurate Moderately Inaccurate Neither Inaccurate nor Accurate Moderately Accurate Very Accurate	Seldom feel blue.
Very Inaccurate Moderately Inaccurate Neither Inaccurate nor Accurate Moderately Accurate Very Accurate	Am not interested in abstract ideas.
Very Inaccurate Moderately Inaccurate Neither Inaccurate nor Accurate Moderately Accurate Very Accurate	Start conversations.
Very Inaccurate Moderately Inaccurate Neither Inaccurate nor Accurate Moderately Accurate Very Accurate	Am not interested in other people's problems.
Very Inaccurate Moderately Inaccurate Neither Inaccurate nor Accurate Moderately Accurate Very Accurate	Get chores done right away.
Very Inaccurate Moderately Inaccurate Neither Inaccurate nor Accurate Moderately Accurate Very Accurate	Am easily disturbed.
Very Inaccurate Moderately Inaccurate Neither Inaccurate nor Accurate Moderately Accurate Very Accurate	Have excellent ideas.
Very Inaccurate Moderately Inaccurate Neither Inaccurate nor Accurate Moderately Accurate Very Accurate	Have little to say.
Very Inaccurate Moderately Inaccurate Neither Inaccurate nor Accurate Moderately Accurate Very Accurate	Have a soft heart.
Very Inaccurate Moderately Inaccurate Neither Inaccurate nor Accurate Moderately Accurate Very Accurate	Often forget to put things back in their proper place.
Very Inaccurate Moderately Inaccurate Neither Inaccurate nor Accurate Moderately Accurate Very Accurate	Get upset easily.
Very Inaccurate Moderately Inaccurate Neither Inaccurate nor Accurate Moderately Accurate Very Accurate	Do not have a good imagination.
Very Inaccurate Moderately Inaccurate Neither Inaccurate nor Accurate Moderately Accurate Very Accurate	Talk to a lot of different people at parties.
Very Inaccurate Moderately Inaccurate Neither Inaccurate nor Accurate Moderately Accurate Very Accurate	Am not really interested in others.
Very Inaccurate Moderately Inaccurate Neither Inaccurate nor Accurate Moderately Accurate Very Accurate	Like order.
Very Inaccurate Moderately Inaccurate Neither Inaccurate nor Accurate Moderately Accurate Very Accurate	Change my mood a lot.
Very Inaccurate Moderately Inaccurate Neither Inaccurate nor Accurate Moderately Accurate Very Accurate	Am quick to understand things.
Very Inaccurate Moderately Inaccurate Neither Inaccurate nor Accurate Moderately Accurate Very Accurate	Don't like to draw attention to myself.
Very Inaccurate Moderately Inaccurate Neither Inaccurate nor Accurate Moderately Accurate Very Accurate	Take time out for others.
Very Inaccurate Moderately Inaccurate Neither Inaccurate nor Accurate Moderately Accurate Very Accurate	Shirk my duties.
Very Inaccurate Moderately Inaccurate Neither Inaccurate nor Accurate Moderately Accurate Very Accurate	Have frequent mood swings.
Very Inaccurate Moderately Inaccurate Neither Inaccurate nor Accurate Moderately Accurate Very Accurate	Use difficult words.
Very Inaccurate Moderately Inaccurate Neither Inaccurate nor Accurate Moderately Accurate Very Accurate	Don't mind being the center of attention.
Very Inaccurate Moderately Inaccurate Neither Inaccurate nor Accurate Moderately Accurate Very Accurate	Feel others' emotions.
Very Inaccurate Moderately Inaccurate Neither Inaccurate nor Accurate Moderately Accurate Very Accurate	Follow a schedule.
Very Inaccurate Moderately Inaccurate Neither Inaccurate nor Accurate Moderately Accurate Very Accurate	Get irritated easily.
Very Inaccurate Moderately Inaccurate Neither Inaccurate nor Accurate Moderately Accurate Very Accurate	Spend time reflecting on things.
Very Inaccurate Moderately Inaccurate Neither Inaccurate nor Accurate Moderately Accurate Very Accurate	Am quiet around strangers.
Very Inaccurate Moderately Inaccurate Neither Inaccurate nor Accurate Moderately Accurate Very Accurate	Make people feel at ease.
Very Inaccurate Moderately Inaccurate Neither Inaccurate nor Accurate Moderately Accurate Very Accurate	Am exacting in my work.
Very Inaccurate Moderately Inaccurate Neither Inaccurate nor Accurate Moderately Accurate Very Accurate	Often feel blue.
Very Inaccurate Moderately Inaccurate Neither Inaccurate nor Accurate Moderately Accurate Very Accurate	Am full of ideas.