When I want to know what my friends are up to, I log onto Facebook. Or I check my Twitter feed. This is where folks in my social sphere broadcast their “status messages” scattershot-style, announcing what they are doing at that particular moment. The things Facebookers and Tweeters say are mostly fun, ranging from titillating to the inane: “on vacation and not checking Gmail”; “just ate a blueberry pancake”; “reading Twilight and feeling like a 17-year-old girl again”; “broke collar bone in bike race” are all messages I have read at one time or another.

The same status-checking process happens every day here at DiVitas. But instead of Facebook or Twitter, we use a “mobile social networking application” specifically designed for business folks who are on the go: DiVitas Mobile Unified Communications. The DiVitas interface has the familiar status update function, but in this sphere we are all co-workers with a common goal of not wasting time playing telephone tag. And it is displayed on my Nokia E71 smartphone, so there is no toggling between my PC and mobile device in order to stay apprised of status changes.

The DiVitas status message tells colleagues what you are doing or where you are: working at home, in a meeting, at the airport, running late, on a coffee break at Starbucks … just to name a few. The message is customizable, so you can type in your specific status as it applies. Again, it’s familiar because it’s similar to what I’m used to with Facebook and Twitter, but in this case my buddies are part of my network contacts, so I can call, email or IM a “Friend” straight from the smartphone GUI. I am also armed with the knowledge that I can call my boss, hold off on that call until I know he’s free, or I could discreetly send him an IM with a brief message saying “no need to rush, our 3pm just cancelled.”

Taking the status update one step further, the DiVitas phone GUI also displays a mobile Presence icon, which indicates whether you are available by voice and/or text -- or unavailable at that moment. Pairing a status message with a Presence icon that broadcasts availability means that fewer calls will be missed, less time will be wasted listening to voicemail and returning missed calls, and fewer meetings will be interrupted by a voice call when a simple mobile Instant Message will do the trick.

I can still be silly with my status message if I choose. (All work and no play will make Nancy a dull girl, right?) In fact, just last week mine read “I am my mom’s mom” (and my Presence meeting showed me as unavailable because I was meeting my elderly mother for our usual Tuesday night dinner). We have the kind of work environment where that kind of thing flies, and it is often a game to see who can be the most creative. Fun aside, that status message/Presence icon has cut the time I waste missing calls, checking email and returning calls down to almost nil.