Your instant messaging program beings the process of communicating with others by connecting you to a server used by everyone who uses the same program. more »
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Your instant messaging program beings the process of communicating with others by connecting you to a server used by everyone who uses the same program. more »
It can be frustrating to keep in touch with friends over instant messaging when so many people use different programs for IM. Downloading and installing multiple IM programs can use up memory and slow down your computer, not to mention the hassle of navigating multiple windows for each program. By using a consolidation program, you... more »
Twitter looks like just another time-sink, but it's a great way to increase exposure to your sites, find some new and interesting things on the web, keep track of what your friends are doing and perhaps make new friends. You can update Twitter through your browser, but you can also use your instant messenger program (AIM, GTalk,... more »
Communicate in real time to whomever you want by using instant messenger. Instant messaging allows you to connect to your friends and family just like email does but without the delay. Build up your buddy list and never lose touch with your loved ones. Instant messaging is free and is becoming the best way to communicate over the web. more »
Smileys, also known as emoticons, are a wonderful way of adding a little emotion to the ideas that you share with your family and friends. They are mostly used in instant messages, emails and blogs. Available in a wide variety, from the simplest to the more animated type, you can add them to your messages to display the emotions you... more »
Instant messaging has become as natural as speaking, but maybe you're feeling a little out of...
Whether you are a Mac or a PC, you can use eHow's tips to familiarize yourself with...
Chat rooms are a great place to hang out with existing friends and meet new ones. Think of it...
America Online (AOL) offers email services to its patrons and to those who would like to try...
Instant messaging is a wonderful way to stay in touch with friends, family, colleagues and classmates while you surf the Internet, work on class... more »
The first reaction to instant messaging in the workplace was to ban it. Now, however, companies are rethinking their policies as studies show that... more »
There are so many ways to stay in touch with friends and family nowadays, and one of the methods that many people (especially young people) prefer... more »
Instant messaging is all the rave nowadays. If you don't have an instant-messaging account, you may feel out of the loop. Fix this problem by... more »
In today’s culture we want to be connected to friends and contacts at all times. One way to do this is through instant messaging, which can be... more »
Instant messaging (IM) is a form of real-time communication between two or more people based on typed text. The text is conveyed via devices connected over a network such as the Internet.
Overview
Instant messaging (IM) is a collection of technologies that create the possibility of real-time text-based communication between two or more participants over the internet or some form of internal network/intranet. It is important to understand that what separates chat and instant messaging from technologies such as e-mail is the perceived synchronicity of the communication by the user - Chat happens in real-time. Some systems allow the sending of messages to people not currently logged on (offline messages), thus removing much of the difference between Instant Messaging and e-mail.
IM allows effective and efficient communication, featuring immediate receipt of acknowledgment or reply. In certain cases Instant Messaging involves additional features, which make it even more popular. For example, users can see each other by using web-cams, or talk directly for free over the Internet using a microphone and loudspeakers.
It is possible to save a conversation for later reference. Instant messages are typically logged in a local message history which closes the gap to the persistent nature of e-mails and facilitates quick exchange of information like URLs or document snippets (which can be unwieldy when communicated via telephone).
History
Instant messaging predates the Internet, first appearing on multi-user operating systems like CTSS and Multics in the mid-1960s. Initially, many of these systems, such as CTSS.SAVED, were used as notification systems for services like printing, but quickly were used to facilitate communication with other users logged in to the same machine. As networks developed, the protocols spread with the networks. Some of these used a peer-to-peer protocol (eg talk, ntalk and ytalk), while others required peers to co read more at » http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Instant+messaging
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