Instant Messaging: From AIM to Yahoo Messanger
What is all the talk about Instant Messaging or IM for short? Well, IM is a real time, text-based, on-line interaction with one or more people - much faster and more direct than email communication. Email, as you know is a:
- write,
- send,
- wait for reply,
- click on your mail program,
- get mail,
- and hope that you have received a response in a timely fashion.
Unlike email, IMing can happen immediately - with you and a buddy or friend. There are a few different options that you use to start IMing such as: AIM, Yahoo, Jabber, GoogleTalk, and more - but MEEBO (www.meebo.com) clusters many of those accounts and buddy lists into a single account right from your browser. Below is a video that explains how IM works. Once you watch it, you'll be ready to sign up for an IM account and start enjoying 'real-time' communication with your friends, family and co-workers.
Setting up an Account
All that is well and good...before you use IM you will need to enter account information for each screen name you want to use for chatting. A screen name is an IM address. It will be assigned to you when you set up an account with a service provider.
To chat with people who use AIM, MobileMe, or Mac.com: You need an AIM, MobileMe, or Mac.com account.
To chat with people who use Jabber: You need a Jabber account.
Jabber protocol is the same as: Freetalk, Gnome Jabber, Mango, Spark, Google Talk, Soapbox Communicator, Miranda IM and more.
To chat with people who use Google Talk: You will need a Google Talk account.
If you don't already have an AIM, Jabber, or Google Talk account, you need to set one up on the AOL website, a Jabber service provider, or on the Google website. If you want to use MobileMe to chat, you can set up a MobileMe account right from iChat (for those Mac users :)).
Installing AOL, Yahoo Messanger, ICQ Free Chat Program
You can just view one of these and then choose which chat programs you want to be part of.
What is a Screen Name?
Your screen name is the name that your friends, family and co-workers use to contact you to initiate a chat. Your screen name is the same as your instant massaging address, which depends on the kind of account you're using.
Have or NEED multiple accounts?
As we have said earlier you will (most likely) need multiple accounts because not all your friends, family and co-workers use the same server provider. So, you will need to make a few - now that you've created a few accounts you have multiple accounts. You can switch from one account to another or use some or all of your accounts at once -- also, you might be able to use MEEBO -- more on that later. IF you have a Mac - you can create a new iChat account by clicking on the Add (+) button at the bottom of the iChat preference pane, that will add additional accounts to your iChat which can all feed into your iChat program.
Here is a meebo page, from www.meebo.com - it describes exactly what meebo is and does.
Pretty great, no? Well, now you have accounts and hopefully one place where you will be able to IM with all your friends, family and co-workers. But your dance card is B-L-A-N-K. You need to fill it to really get this IMing thing going.
Want Friends, Family and co-workers to IM with?
Invite them. Invite them in droves. Get your address book out and see if any of your contacts have their IM handle listed. Just like your phone number and your email address, your IM address is becoming commonplace as well.
IM and txt have their own shorthand -- here are a few examples:
BRB - be right back
LOL - laugh out loud
ROTFL - Rolling on the floor laughing
?4U - Question for you
There are 1,000's and you can go to
http://www.netlingo.com/acronyms.php
and find out more acronyms, use them !!
So...now get going and IM with your friends, family, co-workers....and your ALSC guide!
