Instant Messaging - Know All the Options
By: Susan Ayers Walker Source: AARP.org Date Posted: 2007-06-13 19:33:00-04:00
Are you thinking about trying instant messaging? Perhaps you have a younger member of your family, or a friend, who is encouraging you to give instant messaging a try. Instant messaging, know as IM, is one of those controversial communication mediums that you'll either love or hate. Your affinity for it will depend on how you plan to use it and with whom you plan to communicate.
Teenagers love instant messaging and can spend hours in IM chats with their friends. The younger set quickly embraced instant messaging because of the immediacy it provides over email. It's an alternative to the telephone, allowing instant communications with friends for hours without clogging up the family phone or using precious cell phone minutes. For many, IM provides a more personal real-time link than email, while being less intrusive than a telephone call.
If you would like to try it you need to know that IM works best when you have a fast Internet connection such as DSL or cable modem. If you are still on dialup, don't bother installing IM software as trying to make it work is more trouble than it's worth.
There are many instant messaging programs you can download for free from well-known providers such as AOL, MSN, Yahoo, Google, Skype and others. Instant messaging allows you to create a list of people to chat with but you and your friends need to use the same brand of messenger program. Your contact list allows you to know when that person is online, and they know when you're online as well. Although at times this will be a very handy feature, at other times it can feel like an intrusion on your privacy. Unless you know how to setup your privacy switches to disable this feature and be invisible when you don't want to be disturbed, you can be instant messaged.
When you send or receive an instant message, the IM program opens a small window in which you can type and view the messages sent. Most of the popular IM programs provide other useful features such as:
- Create your own custom chat room with several online friends;
- Share links to your favorite Web sites;
- Look at pictures stored on your friend's computer;
- Play sound files for your friends;
- Exchange files by sending them directly to your friends; and,
- Use the Internet instead of a phone to actually talk with friends (you'll need speakers and a microphone for this).
Typically, IM programs install in the Startup folder of your operating system, allowing the IM application to start when the computer starts. This will make the computer start-up time take a little while longer. If you don't want this to occur, you can manage this and other features through the application's properties menu. Make sure you understand the pros and the cons of the IM program's features, as well as how to uninstall or disable the application, if this type of communication becomes bothersome or is no longer fun.
Instant messaging can be entertaining and social but remember to use common sense to stay safe when using all forms of online communication, including chat rooms and social networking sites. To keep your IM programs secure, be sure you know how to use the command features they give you such as Ignore Users, Hide Your Identity, Become Invisible, and Hide Your IP Number. And never send any personal or financial information, including addresses, social security and account numbers, or user IDs and passwords via IM chat sessions.
Instant messaging can be a fun and convenient tool when you have lots of friends or family members to communicate with online. It's a quick alternative to the phone and can make your time online more socially rewarding. Be sure you know how to engage and disengage IM when you don't need the function, but also be sure to have fun.
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