If you are a minor, it makes sense to take steps to hide your identity to the maximum extent possible, if you may be communicating with strangers.
But it was more convenient for me to use a handle that was not readily identifiable as mine when communicating in public forums for other reasons. On a former job, there were specific rules for outside communications. It was not practical for me to run every comment by somebody to get it approved for publication if it were meant for an Internet forum. Due to the nature of my work, if I stated an off the cuff opinion about anything, it could have been misconstrued as the opinion of my company, and could have come back to bite them. They did not want some lawyer standing up in court asking, "Isn't it true that Mr. xxxxxx of your company said the opposite of that on July 15th?"
It's not that people from my company would have been expected to be giving off the cuff opinions that were wrong, but it was also not reasonable to expect that we would research everything we posted to make sure that our statistics were exactly in line with our research and so forth.
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General discussion
3/3/06 What's the best instant messenger?
Hi! I've just retired and have much more time on my hands, so I'm trying something new. I'm fairly new to all this computer and Internet stuff, and I hear a lot about instant messaging as a great way to keep in touch with friends and family and to meet new people. How is this different from e-mail? Is it safe? What are the risks involved in using messaging programs? What are the best ones? Are they all free? If I decide to get one, I'd like to know my options before choosing. Thanks for any advice!
Julie K. of Roanoke, Virginia
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Answer:
Welcome to the wide world of Internet, and its various wonders!
Instant messaging is best thought of as the computer's equivalent of CB radio, albeit done with typing, not voice. Basically, you find a "channel" (sometimes called a room) if you want to do a public chat, or you can watch for friends and initiate private chat with them if they are online.
Let's say you are BigFisherman (your "screenname" or "chat handle"). You logged into the chat network and in your buddy list is WaderLover your fishing buddy. You were browsing the net when the messenger beeped... Your buddy just logged in and your messenger is notifying you as you had set it up to. You want to know how his fishing trip went, so you double click on his name to establish a connection.
Once a connection is established, you get a small window where each person types their own message, and it shows up on both machines. So you end up with something like this:
BigFisherman: So how was your fishing trip today?
WaderLover: Weather's perfect, but the fishies ain't biting
BigFisherman: Really? Must be your lures. What were you trying for?
WaderLover: Trout. I have this custom lure I got from my friend, who...
Well, you get the idea. You type one sentence, they type one sentence, and the result appears almost instantaneously on each other's computer. Thus, instant messaging! If you use mobile phones, it's rather similar to the SMS text messaging on those, except IM is a bit more interactive, as you can see a full conversation going on. It's such fun, that some of the more modern mobile phones can actually do instant messaging, and chat with PCs in near real-time!
As you can imagine, this is quite a bit different from e-mail. E-mail is a bit slower, longer, more... deliberate. E-mails are like letters whereas IM is more like... chat. Clearly, if you know how to type you'll get more out of IM.
Instant messenger programs fall into a few major networks: AOL Instant Messenger (also called AIM), Microsoft IM, and Yahoo! Messenger. They each have their own program and operate their own network, and are not compatible with each other. It's like 3 cell phone companies whose customers cannot call each other if they are using different companies! There are a few independents out there like ICQ (say it like "I seek You") and GoogleChat and others, as well as a few "unified" attempts like GAIM and Trillian. The "unified" attempts operate over multiple networks.
If you've never used IM before, you'll need to choose one of the big camps, download their specific IM program, and register your "handle" or screenname, as AOL calls it. By this time, all the good ones are probably taken, so you'll probably end up with something like BigFisherman3642 or something like that. But be creative (try not to use your name though).
As instant messengers run in the background and you tend to keep them open, they are rapidly gaining in all sorts of abilities, like showing you real-time stock quotes, sports scores, news headlines, and quite a few ads, as well as additional communication abilities like video chat and even ability to place Internet phone calls (separate subscription and or hardware are probably required).
In general, messenger programs are quite safe, as they don't transfer any code, (i.e. program), just text, but some of the messengers let you send files to your friends, and receive them as well. Fortunately, that can be turned off completely. There were supposedly a few IM viruses that exploit the ability to link to certain websites and such, but you can turn those off in the security settings as well. Basically, NEVER click on any URLs and such unless you can trust the referrer. That security tip applies anywhere... on websites, in e-mail, even in IM.
The IM clients are mostly free, especially the single-network ones. The multi-network clients that are still in testing are free, but they may charge later. Also, the messengers may contain additional-cost features like video, Internet phone calls, and so on. Pure chat is free though.
As for which one to use... It really depends on who are you likely to be chatting with and if they are already on a certain network. It doesn't hurt to run multiple IM programs, it just makes your desktop look a bit cluttered. My cousin routinely runs 3 instant messengers together, and holds about 6-7 simultaneous chats with her various friends. The big 3 (AIM, MSNM, and Y!M) are constantly improving their products, and new features are constantly being added and bugs addressed.
I'd advise you to check with your friends and family who are already using an instant messenger and join that network, and keep each other in the "buddy list", so you can just track each other, and try the whole thing out.
Have fun, and again, welcome to the wide world of Internet!
Submitted by: Kasey C. of San Francisco, CA
Discussion is locked
31 - 60 of 87 Posts
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Data mining. Theres a huge load of information on the interent, and all of it can be mathematically conected using statistics and trends. That said, the less personal information there is on the internet about you, the better. Even though I highly doubt anybody is pouring over this information specifically trying to hurt you, its just safer to keep anonymous.
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I've used instant messaging for many years, MSN, AIM, yahoo. I have friends in each one that just stick to that and that's great...but since having 4 IM clients running all the time is a dog to my computer, I ran Trillian 2.0 for some time. When it was time to upgrade to V3 that was just as bad, if not WORSE than running all the individual chat clients at once! Trillian was hardcore on my computer but I tollerated it because it had all the plugins and looked great. Then I found GAIM. Quick to load, had a bunch of great plugins, and the options seem endless because of it's ''open source'' approach. Do a google search for GAIM and once you've goet that all figured out, search for GAIM plugins. Enjoy it! Only downside, when doing a video/audio chat I have to either 1. call on the phone or 2. open up yahoo (or other) which has this. But since I use instant messaging more to insant message most of the time....this works for me 
I believe GAIM does have an "unofficial" version that supports some of these features also but won't be in the main version until all bugs are worked out 
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Hi,
I have been an avid used of IM for years.
It's great when you want to contact a friend or relative that is often on their PC.
The one thing I've always considered is that
IM is NOT a replacement for the telephone.
Yes, we have our smilies, and emoticons,
but nothing replaces the sound of one's voice.
Recently, my employer started a policy that I don't agree with,
but they leave me little choice in the decision.
They have moved to using IM as a way of decreasing their telephone expenses,
and the require ALL PERSONNEL to log into their IM when they are at work,
regardless of your location, main office, home office, or mobile office.
I didn't agree with the policy, and I still don't.
I am very wary of the things I run on my PC and how I use them.
I also keep my PC as secure as Fort Knox.
So I've come across a dillema and a solution...
I run the IM of their choice on the PC that they supply to me.
This way, if it infects a PC , it's theirs.
If it grabs some sensitive information, it was grabbed from their PC not mine.
I leave every possible loophole covered by the fact that it runs only on THEIR corporate equipment.
So now I have a new question.
Since it is connected to my HOME NETWORK, what are the risks of something spreading to my Fort Knox workstations ?
What do I need to be running to make sure my NETWORK isn't a carrier of unmentionables ???
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You've posed two totally different questions: employers using open IM clients to run business communications over, and how to keep your home network secure.
Most employers who REQUIRE users to use IM will host their own IM server on the company's LAN (usually a Jabber server) and run an in-house client, not visible from the Big I, such as a ''SameTime'' setup, or something of that ilk. Contains all the same features of AIM, but it's internal to your company's network. It's rare to find a company that authorizes, not to mention mandates, employees use a network outside of their own. It's just asking for all sorts of legal trouble.
Now, as for your second question. I can understand the dangers you are concerned about. Corporations mandate so much software be placed on their gear that you have no idea what it's doing to your network or the other machines on it. You want to make sure that you're covering all the bases when you set up your home systems. To that end, there are several things you can do to help keep your network safe:
1. Run virus scanners on everything. It almost goes without saying these days, but if it's connected to the Internet, run a virus scanner and update it daily. Heck, run two. Now, as was mentioned in the winning answer, IM clients are generally safe to run, but their software is quite bloated, the unified clients being the notable exceptions (I'm a Trillian junkie). Be wary, though, of strangers IM'ing you and asking you to ''check out their webcam by clicking this link'' or ''you've just won the lottery, click here to claim your prize.'' Chances are, you didn't win the lottery.
2. On your Fort Knox machines, run personal firewall software, even if you're behind a hardware firewall. Your work PC may be trying to communicate with your home PC's without your consent. A good software firewall (try ZoneAlarm) will alert you any time anything tries to communicate with that PC.
That's probably all you'll need to do from a base level. From here on out, we're getting into some really paranoid setups, so be warned, this is not for the faint-hearted.
3. Set up two subnets, and don't bridge them. From your hardware firewall, you could set up two networks, a 192.168.1.X network, and a 192.168.2.X network, where your work laptop would be on one subnet, and your Fort Knox machines would be on another. Your hardware firewall at 192.168.1.1 would still be the gateway for both networks, but there would be no routes from the .1 network to the .2 network, and vice versa (Now, network junkies will balk because there will be one host route from 192.168.2.X to 192.168.1.1, but I'm trying not to get lost in the weeds here). Therefore, you could logically isolate the work laptop from the other machines.
3. If you still are uneasy about subnetting, you can set up a DMZ. This solution requires TWO hardware firewalls connected in series between your ISP's connection and your Fort Knox systems. The space between the 1st and 2nd firewalls is known as the DMZ. You will connect your work laptop there. This setup will allow your work laptop to communicate freely with the Internet, but any attempts to communicate with anything beyond the second firewall will stop there. Your Fort Knox machines will be isolated from anything connected in the DMZ, but will still be able to communicate freely with the Big I. Note, though, that there may be issues with NAT and such between the two firewalls, so such a setup may be challenging.
HTH
Cheers
CJ
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I have friends on all three major IM's so I download Trillian and now see all of them with 1 program. Works for me.
Lee
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Hi just to put my 2 cents in, i use Paltalk as my prefered Im. It has chat rooms, private messaging, the best audio and also live video for a paid subscription which can be used in a private audio chat or to see other members. Have a great time and enjoy your retirement as i am doing since 1994.
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Am I missing something or did you not answer the question? the question was ,whats the best instant messenger and what is your response. just give the name nothing more please
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Another marketing ploy inundating the air waves,
Just because something is available doesn't mean you have to use it. Judging by the content of "conversations" seen on IM's it has become the domain of babblers with too much time in their hands. It's adictive and serves very little purpose. Unless someone is deaf-mute I'd say: use the phone! And for those who argue that IM can used worldwide for free - make new friends,etc - as opposed to phone charges: What is the benefit of having met someone you IM with in Timbuctu if you'd probably never meet? Socially, it's a step backward, a world plagued with fake names, sometimes fake people and worst, making the user believe that cyber interaction is the same as real life, face to face conversations.
Finally, unless you correspond with people you know, whatever you read and no matter what they say, it'll forever be subject to question.
Not to mention those who IM with their phones, that's the ultimate travesty. Comparing this to CB it's not fair. While CB was limited and sometimes missused, it had an immediacy, especially on the road in case of emergencies, that IM can't provide. By the way, CB was replaced by cell phones. Cell phones carry voice. Why type? And, can someone lend me chicken toes to do it?
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To tell the truth I think that IM and chat in general is a blight on civilization.
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I could just as easily argue that the telephone is a waste of time, since people use it for mundane chat. When it first came out, it was derided for causing marriages to break up and allowing people to contact their lovers. It wasn't much different from what people were saying about the Internet just a few years ago.
The reality is that you are confusing tools with their users. IM can be a productivity tool.
Back in the 1970s and 1980s, mainframe users could send messages. All messages were instant, and they provided a good way to contact a coworker who was online, and was better than the phone in several respects. You might not have known what office the person was in, and the person might have even been dialed into the system, in which case, his phone was tied up. People in my office had laptops (DOS based with a single floppy and no hard drive) long before we had cell phones. But a small terminal emulator and dialup software allowed us to communicate, and run needed software on the mainframe.
In addition to messages, we could also send notes. Those were the equivalent of what we now call email messages. But a note went to the person's inbasket, and he or she might not have seen it right away. However, at least the person knew instantly that a note was there. We didn't have kludges such as POP3, so if a person was on-line, as soon as a note was sent, the person saw a message. Messages were the type of things that we now see pop up with an OK button, but they also could have been sent by a user or by the computer operator. (i.e. the person running the mainframe) So "you've got mail" was a message. (Actually our equivalent of that was a cryptic message referring to a spool file number and who it was from.)
Back then, it was used 100% for business, or at least any chit chat was no more likely than it would have been in any office. But chit chat was better suited to in-person situations where there was no audit trail.
When AIM came out, I jumped on it. It was bundled with Netscape in the beginning, and most people probably had no idea what it could be used for. But I told others in my office, and we all installed it. It became far easier than using the mainframe messaging, since it was in a stand-alone window with a pane for the conversation and one for writing messages. And since we were all regular users of messaging, there was nothing to learn and nobody to convince.
I still use it, but not for idle chit chat. I use it if I need to ask my wife a quick question at work, and don't want to interrupt her with a phone call. With IM, she can get back to it in a few minutes as time permits. It's a lot easier than leaving voice mail, for which she has to go through voice menus, and cannot have a real record of things. If I IM her a URL, or a phone number that can be pasted into an address book, it's far more practical than hoping that the transcription went well over the phone. And since my former co-workers are still in my buddy list, I could get in touch with them if I needed to without having to track down their phone numbers, or figure out where they went if they changed jobs.
One thing I can't stand is if somebody calls me on the phone, and during the conversation, asks me something which I could easily IM but can't because the other person's client isn't on. If somebody called me right now and asked about this thread, an IM would be the easiest way to get the person here.
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I agree with you "Waste of time in general"; chatting with strangers that you may never even meet or want to meet is a waste of time. The way to meet people is by doing things that you enjoy doing & going to places you enjoy going to. You are sure that at least you have something in common. In other words get a life. Where I disagree, is using messenger instead of the telephone. I have sons in Europe, Arizona, & Florida. I am retired, widowed, senior citizen on a fixed income. Only one of my sons can afford phone calls, so it is the one way that I can always reach them. Every day if I wish. I use Yahoo because all of my children and distant friends and relatives use it. They get my offline messages too. Having a hobby of photography, I take all the family photos at our regular holiday reunions and yahoo makes it easy to send them to every one.
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I was beginning to wonder if I was the only one who felt this way. I'm 36 and I work on the web for a living, so I'm not an "old-timer" or against adopting new technologies. But when I'm online, I'm on for a reason: lots to research, no time to waste chit-chatting. IM would be a HUGE pain in the butt. I have no use for it. I can see it being useful if you're working from home and you need to converse with a co-worker about work-related issues during work hours. Outside of that, call or email!
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It never ceases to amaze me that legitimate contenders are excluded based on various subjective assumptions in the technology world, but are perfectly acceptable in, for example, the automotive world.
For instance, anybody that has used iChat on a mac with an iSight camera would no doubt see it as at least one of the best if not the best IM application. It is easy to use, you can video conference with multiple people at the same time, the video is clear and clean, the interface is absolutely fantastic and the features are very good quality. So, while this is not even mentioned (though one could argue that it has limited compatibility with AIM) because of whatever subjective assertions, in the automotive world, nobody seems to have a problem with naming a Maybach or Bentley or Ferrari the best vehicle even though, as a percentage, there are literally a factor of "hundreds of thousands" times less people able to consider those vehicles as a viable option. CNET, what's going on? There are 30 million active Mac OS X users... certainly that is a much bigger population than those able to buy a Maybach, Bentley, or Ferrari...
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iChat may not be fancy, but for mac users, it does have the streamlined mac feel, and works just fine for instant messaging. It supports AIM, Jabber, and Bonjour. Even if you don't have an iSight camera or microphone, for mac users, I would recommend you take a look at iChat - much more user-friendly and less obtrusive than other applications.
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Just get a screen name on the major ones then use Trillian to sign in. This way you use only one interface (less clutter and CPU usage) and you can communicate with almost all your friends and family no matter which one they use.
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You gave an answer to a person that has never used any of the chat software available...she stated she was fairly new to all the online world.IN your answer you used jargon that I bet she does not understand.
There are many dangers in the chat world from hackers and spammers that can come right to your IM(instant message).On Yahoo for one when you are in a chat room there are so many automated programs or bots (short for robot) you can hardly talk to anyone while in there. Bots post links in light blue text in the room...if you click on them they will either take you to a site that is trying to get you to buy a porn service or in many cases will down load a virus to your system. These same bots send links right to your IM also. Yahoo and AOL both have report spam features and that is what you should click when you receive a link in an IM.
All the messenger services have a feature where you can have your IM's set so only people you know have the ability to contact you.
One of the newer features is the ability to drag and drop a file in an IM and send it to another person...this is great but if you don't know the other person never accept the file as it could be either a virus or maybe something you would rather not see. Another new and great feature is web cam service.....when you connect via cam that is a direct connect to your computer and people can send things to you that way also.
Basically being online regardless of what people say is just like being out in public and meeting someone for the first time...you don't invite them over to your house and ask them to house sit for you while you are out of town because they really seem nice. Get to know the people you meet online over time.
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You used to be able to get a program called "die bot die",which cut out interruptions from bots considerably if not altoghether.I haven't used it in 3 years,but it's probably still around.
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Google talk is simply the best, no ads, now you don't even have to download a client because you can use the in-browser client when logged into GMail (the best email system).
However, AIM is the most widely used IM system (by a large margin) and should probably be the one pursued by most beginners, but I would suggest a non-AIM client like AIMutation.
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The best IM is he one that most of your friends use. That can be AIM, YIM, the microsoft IM, ICQ (which by the way is owned by AOL.)
I use YIM and ICQ though not at the same time...
BEST to you
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Does anyone know if they fixed the bugs in that client yet? I'd like to use AIM Triton because it integrates Plaxo (if you don't have Plaxo, I highly recommend it to organize your contacts www.plaxo.com), but last two times I downloaded it, it still had a few bugs to fix.
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The free Skype software is more known for its VOIP calls but its bundled IM software is also working fine.
It has all the bells and whistles of the other IM softwares and it has a huge network of users (more than 200 mil. downloads sofar).
It's most probably the prefered IM among the business users since, in a single package you can:
- call another SKYPE user for free
- call a "normal" phone number at very low prices and sound quality is pretty good (if you use a broadband connection like ADSL)
- send an instant message + send files (very important for business users: you can keep a record of messages sent and received)
Recently they also added video conferencing.
Why SKYPE has not been mentioned in your review ?
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WELL....I'VE ALSO HAVE RECENTLY RETIRED AND HAVE JOINED THE INSTANT MESSAGE "AGE" I USE MSN MESSENGER BECAUSE I'VE FOUND THAT ITS PROVIDES ME WITH THE SMOOTHEST "VIDEO" (LOGITECH CAMERA 3000 PRO) CONFERENCE AND TEXT MESSAGING WITH MY BROTHER FROM TEXAS. ITS A GREAT WAY TO STAY IN TOUCH! I ALSO USE YAHOO MESSENGER IT ANOTHER GOOD PROVIDER FOR TEXT MESSAGEING BUT NOT A GREAT "VIDEO" CONFERENCE, SO I HAVE TO BEST OF TWO WORLDS!
I RUN WIN XP AND USE COMCAST BUT SWITCHING TO SBC YAHOO....NOW THAT I'M RETIRED "MONEY" HAS TO GO A LITTLE BIT FURTHER SO THAT WHY THE SWITCH!
I HOPE THIS HELPS YOU IN YOUR QUEST TO HELP FILL THAT SPACE & TIME WARP THAT US RETIRE PEOPLE HAVE.
KC
LIVERMORE,CA
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Kasey gives rather short shrift to the multi network IM clients. However, from a pure chat standpoint they are (with some reservations) a near perfect solution. They allow you to track your friends regardless of which of the major networks they use. I use Trillian. I have handles on MSN, AIM and Yahoo. I primarily chat with AIM people but have friends and colleagues who only use MSN and Yahoo. With Trillian, I have one application that tracks all three. It can also give you a popup when e-mail arrives on any of the IM services' associated mail services. Since my primary IM client is AIM, I also keep the AOL/AIM software open simultaneously so if I need to do a voice or video chat or to transfer a file, it's easy. It's not as fancy in the Icon or font or picture department. But for a grown up such as the retired woman who posed the question, these are frills that appeal mostly to teenagers. Trillian basic is still free.
But Kasey hasn't mentioned (perhaps someone else did) what I consider to be the best of the best: Skype. The free Skype IM client lets you chat as easily as any of the others and without (for now) any of the annoying ads or pop-ups. You can simply add others to your chat without having to go into chat rooms. In addition, and this is Skype's primary focus, it has the best voice chat around that I've heard. Even with a dial up connection it's good, with broadband the quality exceeds standard telephones to any other PX, Mac, or Linux computer on the internet anywhere. And now (for PC only so far) they've added video conferencing. For small fees, you can call virtually any standard phone in the world, you can have a standard phone number that rings on your computer your callers can leave voicemails and you can forward your skype to your cell or other phone and on a cell conduct chat using SMS. Unfortunately, unlike AIM, there's no ''online'' client like ''AIM Express'' that enables you to use the chat on a public computer or a friend's machine without installing software.
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While it shares many similarities with Instant Messaging clients, it's really aimmed at a different market.
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If this is mostly marketted as a voice-chat client, and I don't mean this lightly, why not just use the telephone?
granlov5
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ICQ is still very nice client and for those folks like me who use multiple IM's, Trillian is the way to go, because you can run them all from one program.
The free version is very good, my only advice is to stay away from skins because they cause it open a lot slower.
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I totally agree with the winning response. I use both the Yahoo instant messenger and MSN instant messenger because I have friends and family that use both. They both have good features some that are the same between the two of them some that are individual to the specific IM. While both have free IM to IM voice and video (web cam) I have found that for me the video on the MSN messenger works the smoothest and the best. With voice over the IM I can talk to family and friends as if I were on a telephone (especially using a headset with a microphone) and with video (web cam) I can see a moving picture of the person I am talking to. I love this feature when I am talking to my grown children and their families as they live in other areas of the country from me. It must be remembered however that for video to work the parties of the conversation must all have a broadband Internet connection (DSL, Cable Modem, etc.).
One thing of particular interest was an announcement by both Microsoft and Yahoo of an agreement signed between the two of them. Sometime in the near future people on the MSN IM network will be able to IM with people using the Yahoo IM network and visa versa. The world of IMing is slowly approaching, with the cooperation of the various IM networks, a single communication network that will eventually make all IMs compatible with each other. I look forward to being able to use just one IM interface to communicate with my family and friends who are now on multiple IM networks (Yahoo and MSN). Yahoo and MSN are on the right path, hopefully others will follow.
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