I wrote a couple of weeks ago about having the digital jitters before a trip where I expected to be completely disconnected for close to two weeks. I was prepared for sweats and shakes as my blackberry remained silent, and figured I’d be howling at the moon when my iPhone didn’t ring. Wrong.

My trip was great. Me and one of my BFFs (am I 12?) fished with bears, kayaked with whales, slept on the beach and hugged a glacier. I also made some new friends the old fashioned way - in person. From a digital perspective, I had more connectivity than I expected on the front and back ends when I was in Juneau and then Gustavus, Alaska. In between I camped and kayaked in Glacier Bay and there was no service. None. Even the guide’s satellite phone was sketchy. But guess what? My team and our clients did just fine without me. And I did just fine without an Internet connection.

I confess, I was a little nervous the first day - I’m just so used to checking in that it was odd not to be able to. But by the time I got into the kayak I was ready to forget about work and focus on vacation. There were a few important meetings I missed during the week, and I gave them a fleeting thought, but overall I found being disconnected quite valuable. It made me appreciate my time a little more, and when I got reconnected at the end of the week I appreciated my clients, my colleagues, my connections all the more.

My trip to Alaska was a “ten-years at Burson” gift to myself. And I loved every minute of it. But I love my job, and my company, and I was happy to get back and get connected again. I didn’t get the jitters, but luckily I didn’t lose my enthusiasm and excitement for the business either.

I’ve got the digital jitters. I am in Alaska as I write, about to head on a 9 day kayaking excursion. The adventure begins shortly with a float plane and then a paddle, and then a hike to visit a bear sanctuary. From there we will continue on and explore the Glacier Bay area of Alaska. I’ve heard there is no connectivity out there and I’m quite nervous about it.

This trip was a ten-year work anniversary trip to myself. I’ve been at Burson-Marsteller for ten years now, first as a consultant, and in November it will be ten years as staff. TEN YEARS! When I started at the company we didn’t even have email for every employee - my first email account was a shared one with the design group. Given that my job was to develop an interactive capability I’ve always stayed extremely connected - first via mobile phone, then via email, then via remote access, and of course now via blackberry. So the idea of completely disconnecting for 9 days has me quite nervous.

I have an awesome team so I’m not worried about the work getting done or the clients being serviced. I know Tery, Rome, Chris and others will do an awesome job. It is more that staying connected is an important and fun part of my life. I’ve written about work/life balance before, and my lack of it, but some of that is at my own doing. So, I’m considering this a social experiment of sorts, to see how I do being unplugged, and to just chillax for a few days. I’ll write about the experience when I get back, and am now off to see the bears.

It’s not everyday that you come across a registered doctor who only practices house visits. But what about a doctor who does house visits via instant messenger or webcam? Meet Jay Parkinson, MD.

“I am not your typical doctor,” his website reads, “I am easily accessible and mobile. I come to you when you need me with same or next day appointments.” As a certified doctor in New York state, Dr. Parkison is one of few (or maybe the only one?) who does e-visits. “Many problems can be handled virtually using video chatting, IM, digital photos, etc. It’s often more convenient, more efficient, and less time consuming for both us.” Sounded good to me - I had to try it.

I added Dr. Parkinson to my G-talk and contacted him via IM. He immediately responded, and we had a nice chat. Unfortunately he is only taking new patients in Brooklyn right now, but it was easy to do. We spend a lot of time talking to healthcare clients about the new model of participation, with the patient instead of the physician, at the center of the universe, and this e-doc clearly gets that. Time will tell if this approach becomes mainstream, but given how much of our other important communication is online, it is fine for me to talk to my doc that way too.

Greg Hazley recently wrote a post about Twitter and how PR professionals are using the micro-blogging tool. Erin, my chief (I am one of the 50 that report to her), was featured and mentioned her use of Twitter: a means for group communication and updates.

I can attest to the effectiveness of Twitter and to what Erin refers to as “genuine nature”. From the tweets, you really begin to know a person, their interests, moods, feelings, and day-to-day life. It is as if you are with the people that you are following on Twitter.

There are many stories I could share, but the most appropriate for this post has to be a recent Tweet (“frame grab” from Greg’s blog – look closely) right before Erin had to meet with a client. My response was “shorts” – I never did hear back from Erin on that one – maybe she’ll post a comment.

PS - You can follow Erin @ http://twitter.com/erinbyrne or mine @ http://twitter.com/fleander