The Internet, and more recently the development and take up of high speed broadband, has generated ways of communicating and doing business that were completely unknown and simply could not have been predicted a few decades ago.
Broadband has opened the door and allowed access to immediate, high quality communications that were previously limited to geographical proximity to e-mail portals such as Yahoo, MSN, Jabber, ICQ, Google, and Skype, instant messenger applications continue to make use of the speed and clarity of the best of broadband connections pushing on to make communicating across the world as easy and fast as passing a message through to the next room.
Instant generation
The IM (Instant Messenger) generation, those who grew up during the developing years of instant messaging applications, have gained control and the ride is far from over. Along the way communication channels and habits are changing in both personal and corporate environments and a new series of communication applications are fast being built. The latest in instant messenger applications offers text, talk and video conferencing facilities file sharing, photo swapping and other features and functionality that in can include free PC to PC calls and inexpensive calls from PCs to phones around the world. MSN and Yahoo Messenger lead the way in instant messaging popularity statistically, though today with the number of messenger portal providers in double digits and search engine and VoIP units, such as Google and Skype, joining the ranks which service provider you go with for IM services is more a personal choice than a practical one.
Get started
To get started on instant messenger you need only sign up and get a log in with the relevant internet portal (Yahoo, MSN, Jabber, ICQ or otherwise), download the IM software and begin adding contacts. Once you have added a contact each time you log on you can see who from the same service is online and available to converse. MSN Messenger began making a name for itself in 1999, before the term “instant messaging” had any resonance with average PC users and came on the back of communication programmes such as ICQ and other “chat” program such as Unix talk and Pow-Wow.
Window box
MSN Messenger 7, the more up to date standard version offered through the Microsoft gateway, connects an online community of a round 155 million global chatters and offers serious functionality in comparison to the early days. MSN Messenger versions have supported audio and video chatting, for more than a year now and the MSN Messenger 7 offers users great synchronisation between audio and video, full screen video viewing capability and webcam video chats. So basically over your high speed internet connection you can see, hear and share with hundreds of people thousands of miles away, with as much clarity and convenience as if they had come around for a visit. On the MSN 7 version, when in text conversation with someone, you can simply type your message and send it, send photos, files and audio or do a shared MSN search through the conversation window, the top results for which are sent to all participants in the chat –a useful resource for shared research.
More response
The great thing about the ability to instant message across a broadband connection is just that – it’s instantaneous. It is better than e-mail and texting because through your contact list and by searching for specific users you can see who is online and can get an instant response. And there is not only text or voice communication, but video capabilities that are, at this point, unparalleled. Messenger 7 with a broadband connection takes around five minutes to download and is a breeze to use even for those not experienced in IM applications. Starting a chat session is easy, and the games and radio channel controls are accessible via a toolbar. Microsoft offers free customer support for MSN Messenger and users can expect a response to e-mail queries within around 24 hours.
Smile or frown
Using MSN IM programmes, your name and display picture are customisable and will show on other users contact lists whether you are online, available and available to talk. Messenger 7 in addition supports Dynamic Display Pictures (DDPs), which can be animated to react to emoticons you type in chat, such as 🙂 for smiley or 🙁 for a frown. Your contact list will also show whether any of your contacts have updated their My Space page, (personal Microsoft blogging page) a link for which appears on the Messenger home page. Those contacts who have updated their blog will appear in a ‘gleam’ and depending on whether they have allowed access to the blog you will be able to go and see what they have added.
Write hand
A function of MSN Messenger 7.0 that is quirky and interesting, not to say easy to use, is that the chat window supports handwriting-based messages in addition to the more typical typewritten messages. This function means, with your mouse, you can physically write or draw in the message and send it through to your contact, the tooltip information which is provided when you hover over the icon says write and send messages in your handwriting. Aiming quite probably for a younger crowd MSN 7 offers add-on personalisation and interactive features such as Winks, Muggins and Creaticons some of which you pay for, though the MSN IM programme is free.
Virtual moods
Instead of setting up a regular Dynamic Display Picture (DDP) as mentioned above you can create your own DDP, via a display link to the Blue Mountains website where you can choose one of four different “virtual” types of profiles to create – Muggins, Characters with moods, Creaticons, or regular pictures. To create a Muggin you walk through a wizard that will allow you to choose the physical features of your character, the background effects of your character and the moods he/she displays. In effect you create a cartoon image of your choice that will visually respond in the MSN 7 programme to emoticons you choose. Characters with Moods, your second option in profile personalisation are a choice of six pre programmed figures, Creaticons are characters without moods (and are also free) and then there are other pictures you can choose from to brighten up your profile.
Nudge, wink
Other functionality available on Messenger 7, that can add to your IM experience are “Winks” and “Nudges.” A Wink is a flash animation image, a choice of which can be had through a toolbar, which you can send to someone that you are in conversation with and a Nudge is a similar gift you can send virtually to your conversation-mate that will make both you and your contact’s conversation window jiggle vigorously and screen blur to get their attention and ensure they are awake. If you conduct a conversation that involves audio, MSN Messenger will attempt to connect the two users directly, using a PC-to-PC peer-to-peer connection across MSN’s servers for better performance and quality. Quality will still vary depending on your connection type, and users with broadband connections communicating with other broadband-based users will get the best results.
Yahoo
Yahoo offers similar IM personalisation free of charge with its animated Avatars on both its 7 and the more recent Yahoo IM 8 version. The Yahoo Messenger program itself works just like MSN, but also offers connection to enormous online communities and thriving chat rooms where you can talk to other users in open or private rooms to discuss shared interests and experiences. New features in version 8 include support for making PC to PC calls, using VoIP, worldwide for free, voice mail, a call-history archive and free ring tones. There are problems with the fact that many of the top instant messaging applications are unable to link in with other messaging service applications limiting your conversations to friends and contacts using the same service. Jabber Instant Messenger follows an open-source standard, which allows consumers to talk to other instant-messaging users on other systems through a cross-platform system. Your sister uses ICQ while your best friend and your girlfriend uses MSN and your boss uses Yahoo IM. To chat with them, you need all three services up and running on your PC and without shared contacts using the same system Instant Messaging loses its appeal. With JIM you can hold a one-on-one chat with another user or create a multiple-participant text conference, with any combination of ICQ, MSN, and Yahoo users. JIM’s interface includes a tree in which you can sort your list of contacts by category and toolbar buttons handle functions such as adding and finding contacts and changing your online status.
To chat with users connected to other IM services with Jabber, gateways need to be set up which can be a bit tricky but it’s worth it to connect to friends that otherwise you wouldn’t be available.
Chat moves
Instant messaging applications are now pushing even further ahead with technological developments, taking leaps into PDA and smart phones, so mobile users can instant message on the go. Mobile operator 3 signed a deal this year with Microsoft that will make its Hotmail and MSN Messenger applications available to 3 customers and other search giants such as Google have linked with mobile operators to give users access to mobile search services through a single service.
<p>Daily online
Instant Messenger services offer participants fast, easy access to friends and likeminded individuals at any time, anywhere an internet connection exists – communication abilities once only dreamed of that can now be had with a couple of clicks of the mouse. Families divided, friends not wanting to lose touch, sweethearts separated and work colleagues alike, some combined 400 million of them are logging on and chatting it up, instant messaging online daily.
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