INTRODUCING+MESSENGERS


 * "IM" – short for “instant messaging” – is a real-time communication service between desktop computers.**IM has evolved from the public online chat rooms of the 1990's and 2000's, and quite sophisticated and very common. IM is even used as productivity software in many companies.

IM desktop software works somewhat like email and smartphone text messaging, but with the speed of a private chat room. Both parties are online at the same time, and they "talk" to each other by typing text and sending small pictures in instantaneous time. **There are varying levels of IM sophistication.** Some IM products are bare-bones (example: Google Talk). You can simply send text messages only.

**Other IM systems offer advanced options that let you do more than send text messages.** It is possible to share photos, send and receive computer files, carry out web searches, listen to the Internet radio stations, play online games, share live video (requires webcam), or even place free PC-to-PC calls worldwide if you have the speaker-and-microphone hardware.

Some major IM services are:
 * [|AOL's Instant Messenger (AIM)]
 * [|Yahoo! Messenger]
 * [|Google Talk]
 * [|Jabber]
 * [|Microsoft's MSN Messenger]
 * [|Windows Messenger]
 * [|Windows Live Messenger]

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