UPDATE: June 2007 I'm moving this post over to my public wiki as this topic will dictate change from time to time.

All of this talk of changing forms of communication and making these technologies work for us rather than against is causing a little confusion in that not everyone has the same ladder of preferred communication. I know mine does not match up even with my close friends so I wanted to publish my hierarchy of the moment just so it's out there, but also so I can edit it down the line if that makes sense. I'll be adding a link to this in my e-mail signature.

So, that said, here is how I prefer to be contacted:

1. Instant Messenger - communication is instant and conversational. Most issues which used to take hours of back and forth with e-mail can be resolved in minutes on IM. I'm on AIM, Y!M, Gtalk and my username is extremely easy to figure out on most of those services. If you don't know it and need to, just ask. I'm also on skype with the same name. Additionally I have IM on on my phone, so this is the best way to get me all the time.
2. SMS - this is great for the same reason IM is, though more focused on short bits of info rather than back and forth. If you want to tell me an address or send a phone number, or just coordinate meeting later SMS is ideal for that. Of course you'll need my mobile number for this, and if you need it but don't have it, just ask. Though I really will only give this to people I think actually need it.
3. Twitter - I know it's weird to have a site like this on my list of communication methods but it's true. I frequently use twitter.com to stay in touch, let people know where I'm at, see where other people are at, and use the direct message function quite a bit. If you aren't on twitter yet, you can follow me here.
4. Phone - If the above two options don't work, a call is my next preferred method though frequently this means voicemail and a call back.
5. Email - This is the bottom bracket communication for me at the moment. I'm merging all of my email accounts into gmail so that I can keep track of them all from any web browser anywhere, but at the same time doing that less often. If you just need to tell me something and don't care when I get it or when/if I respond email will do the trick. If it's more timely please use one of the previous 4 options.

That's my breakout for the moment. There are other project specific communication forms that I use as well such as blogs, blog comments & wikis but if you are involved with those projects you already know about those sites. If this conversation about moving away from email is new to you, you might want to read these earlier posts of mine on the subject:

- e-mail bankruptcy is not the solution - we have to change the currency
- Continuing email / life management
- Escaping from e-mail