One of my clients has asked me to use some type of IM…I refuse, figuring I’m tethered to work enough. I’ve written for some college mags, too, though none presently. The thing about electronic follow-ups is that you wind up playing e-mail tag, sometimes with a person who will respond when he gets around to it. Once a phone interview is runnning, the follow-ups can occur more naturally. You also get the advantage of hearing tone of voice (was it a confident response or not)?

A good example of why I prefer the phone — yesterday I conducted an interview with someone who said one thing, then five minutes later said just the opposite. I was able to clarify his opinion before the end of the call.

On the other hand, I interviewed someone from India yesterday with a very thick accent. I talk to people with mild accents from there all the time (I do a lot of technology writing), but this person was extremely difficult to understand. A 45-minute conversation might have gone quicker with e-mail (I’ve never used IM and don’t know all the short-cuts), but that would depend on his typing speed and if he permitted other distractions in a virtual conversation. As I mentioned early, usually people give me undivided attention in a scheduled phone interview.

Phil – You can follow-up in an email, but you know what I love – IM. I like IM interviews or Skype for some of the college mags I work with.

So even if you plan questions in advance, one needs to be able to ask follow-ups “on the fly.”

Tough questions make for good content. But the content must also be delivered well–and that means the writing must be efficient, economical, and effective. We work with many clients who have good ideas and information to share but who lack the skills to communicate it well. We developed “Writing Tips for a Year” for those folks seeking to improve their ability to write.