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Yahoo Instant Messenger is a popular instant-messaging platform. It is a versatile, easy-to-use program that allows people to converse with friends via the Internet. Yahoo Instant Messenger allows for conversation and file-sharing, making it a diverse product. Installing it can be accomplished fairly easily with few tools. more »
The Meebo web application is a lifesaver for people who have multiple online IM identities. The application streamlines all of your IM services and enables you to keep all of your contacts at your fingertips; it also prevents you from needing to download countless IM programs to your computer. 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 »
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On many occasions in the cyber-world, there are times that you want to express your emotions, but can't really find the words to do so. Emoticons is a name that has been given to icons that are used on the Internet to express your emotions. So whenever you find yourself at a loss for words, you can let the emoticons speak for you. more »
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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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