It's time to bring back the AIM away message
I didn’t hate catching up with people over AIM nearly as much as I do over text. Once you were off AIM, you were <i>off</i>. SMS/iMessage/etc. are an open-ended conversation that spans hours or days with ambiguous expectations of responsiveness. In the past you were unequivocally sitting at your computer, looking to chat. Now you could be out working in the yard, running errands, trying to watch a movie, or generally doing something in real life that is interrupted by the constant stream of incoming messages from unknowing friends.