Instant Messaging

What’s your favourite instant messaging program? At its simplest, an instant messaging program is one that connects to the internet, opens up a window and lets you connect with someone using the same program. You type a message, hit enter, and they get the message and can type one back. It’s “real time” in the way email is not --- hence the term “instant.”

There are lots of these programs! AOL Instant Messenger, MSN Messenger, and Yahoo Messenger have all been around for years. Now add GoogleTalk, Skype, and some others and you have a confusing array of choices. And instant messaging isn’t just for teenagers any more. Over time, many of these programs have added features such as voice communication and video. Some messaging programs, like Trillian, let you sign on to more than one and can manage all that for you.

How do you decide which one is best?

Honestly, the easiest way to get started is to ask your friends if they use one of these programs, and try the one they use. You’ll have someone to chat with you’ll have someone who can help you through the learning process. If you want to chat by typing text into a box and getting text right back, AIM, MSN, and Yahoo will certainly do that. All three programs will also let you do voice chat and video chat provided you have a microphone for voice chat and a webcam if you want to use video. With Google Talk you can chat in a text window and voice chat no video is available…yet.

Skype is a little different. They’ve just added video capability, but the really cool thing about Skype is that the voice chat is very high quality. They use VoIP technology so it’s like talking on the telephone. If you have long distance friends or family, get everyone using Skype and see if you don’t think the quality is a good or better than a long distance phone call. You can also use Skype to call to a regular phone, but there is a charge for that service.

There are several things to be aware of, no matter which of these programs you use. First, if you’re going to use any of the voice features in any of these programs, you should be using a headset with a mic. A regular PC mic and speakers are going to drive everyone crazy with feedback.

Also, all these programs are really rude about automagically starting up when your computer starts. Unless you are 15 years old and REALLY REALLY REALLY NEED to be signed on to these programs all the time, disable the option that says something like “start when Windows starts.” You just go ahead and start that program when you’re actually ready to use it you don’t have to have it running all the time.

Another helpful tip: Check the programs options (sometimes known as preferences) and make sure you have any file transfer options set so that downloaded files are checked by your anti-virus software. And, as always, beware of accepting files in these programs, period. Set your options or preferences so that you have to do something to accept a file and not so that people can just send them to you willy-nilly.

Finally, if you haven’t already encountered the new variation on the English language that has come into being as the result of IM programs, you’re in for a shock. IM acronyms have become pervasive. Here’s a pretty good list that will have you ROFL.

So, what’s your favourite IM program? FWIW, you can sometimes see me online as Catester on AIM. SYS!

This article is written by or on behalf of an outsourced columnist and does not necessarily reflect the views of Castanet.