Google Talk Outage: 7 Ways to Communicate Without GChat and Twitter

Culture

Oh no, say it ain't so; G-Chat has been down for many loyal Google users on Thursday. 

If you have been experiencing difficulties with the Google Talk (aka GChat) service, it's not you, it's Google. The company has acknowledged there is a problem with Google Talk. Users are able to access the service, but are unable to send or receive messages. Instead they are seeing an error message.

The tech gods at Google are working furiously to fix the problem and for some, the problem seemed to have been fixed around 11 a.m. But those who aren't so lucky, what can easily distracted office workers do? Actually work? Never. Since being able to send co-workers and friends funny memes and links to cute polar bears is crucial for the sanity of everyone, here's a list of G-Chat alternatives. 

1. The obvious choice

Pros: Most people already have Skype and with the updates to its software, the service now allows you to import all the contacts from your phone. Plus, with the nifty chat feature, it makes it much easier to keep in touch with people no matter what situation your in.

Cons: Because most people have Skype, everyone recognizes that distinguishing "mmmm-bloop" sound indicating it's open and ready for action. Even worse, the strident ring of an unexpected incoming Skype call will definitely get you caught.

2. The Most Efficient

Pros: You're already on Facebook perusing their photos, so why not use the chat system to talk to your friends, co-workers, old crushes .... 

Cons: For some reason, bosses and Facebook just don't mix. They tend to look down on Facebook usage of any kind, so if you're caught with the window open, it won't be easy to talk your way out of that one. Maybe you can say your coworker tagged you in a picture of the quarterly reports. 

3. Old School 

Pros: Remember email? Those things that fill your Gmail inbox can be used for more than sending your boss of a list of reasons of why you need to stay home sick on Friday. 

Cons: With the massive number of random mailing lists that people are on, your email might get lost in the fray, which could be an issue if your need an immediate response to your challenge accepted meme

4. Even older school

Pros: The passage of notes has existed forever. If it was good enough to tell Joey that Kayla like-liked him in the third grade, then it can work today (for the record, the two lasted a whole week thanks to my notes).

Cons: Paper notes can become incriminating evidence if they fall into the wrong hands. Plus, it's hard to pass a note all the way to someone who works in a different office.

5. Just for kicks

Pros: If I say AIM and Yahoo Messenger, does that bring back any memories? Those two used to be go-to for everyone's chatting needs and contrary to popular belief, they still exist. 

Cons: No one still uses Yahoo or AOL. If they do, you don't want to be talking to them anyways.

6. You might get caught, but...

Pros: Twitter is great way to have very public private conversations. Technically, you can send someone one a message on Twitter if you don't want the whole world to know you're a big fan of Sarah Palin porn double Lisa Ann, but all the fun is in making tweets that can be seen by everyone.

Cons: It's public. Not only can your boss see what you said, they're also have a time stamp of when you tweeted, who you tweeted, and how many people know about the mystery burning smell in your office.

Twitter also had some major problems loading around noon on Thursday. So, in that case, just stick to a hassle free form of communication ....

7. The oldest school

Pros: Just get and walk over to who you want to talk to. It's quick, it's easy and it's good for your health.

Cons: Depending on your office, walking does not equal working, so getting up from your desk can be the kiss of death. Though if your boss is a Rolling Stones' fan, you might be able to get away with it today if you just claim you wanted to move like Jagger in honor of his birthday.