Never used instant messaging before? Click here for a tutorial
AOL Instant Messenger
http://www.aim.com/index.adp?promo=208886&aolperm=h
Excite Instant Messenger
http://www1.excite.com/home/messenger/messenger_overview/0,17445,,00.html
ICQ Instant Messenger
http://web.icq.com/
MSN Instant Messenger
http://join.msn.com/messenger/overview2000
Praize Instant Messenger
Christian chat and instant messaging.
http://www.praize.com/IM/
Trillian Instant Messenger
Trillian Instant Messenger connects to Internet Relay Chat (IRC) and AOL, ICQ, MSN, and Yahoo! Instant Messengers in a single interface. Eliminates the need to download every different messenger used by each friend or family member.
http://www.trillian.cc
Yahoo Instant Messenger
http://messenger.yahoo.com/
If you have never used an instant messenger before, the following explanation should help
First of all, what is an instant messenger? It is a program that runs on your computer and lets you know when friends, family members or business associates are using the Internet at the same time you are. If they are, it allows you to contact them to see if they want to have a "conversation", by typing messages to each other.
How is this different from email? You don't have to wait for a response! You type to each other in real time. The other person is actually reading your message as soon as you type it and hit the "Enter" key, allowing you to have an online conversation. Using an instant messenger is fun and it saves you a lot of money on long-distance phone calls!
All of the programs accessed through the links above can be downloaded and used free of charge (with one exception), regardless of whether you are a subscriber to that company's other services. For example, you can use AOL's messenger without paying AOL to be your Internet Service Provider. The one exception is Imici's business messenger, which can be used free of charge under a "limited license", but requires payment to access all features.
To begin using an instant messenger:
1. (You may want to start by asking your friends and family members which instant messenger program they use, if any.) Click on one of the links above and register for the instant messenger program you have selected. You will need to provide some personal information, a user name and a password.
2. Download the program.
3. Add email addresses of your friends, family members and business associates to your contact list, also known as your "buddy list". If you don't know how to do this, open the instant messenger program and click on "Help" or "Help for New Users" or something similar. It may take a few minutes to find this, depending on the program you are using, but every instant messenger program includes help for new users.
4. Talk your friends and family members into downloading the same program on their computers and adding YOUR email address to THEIR buddy lists.
5. Whenever your computer is connected to the Internet, if anyone on your buddy list is using the Internet at the same time, an alert will pop up on your screen, telling you who it is, so that you can request a conversation with them.
Note that it is possible to be "signed out" while you are using the Internet, so that other people on your buddy list will not know that you are online at that time. This is handy when you don't have time for a conversation but don't want to risk hurting anyone's feelings. It is also possible to "block" addresses temporarily, so that if you don't want to have a conversation with a certain person on your buddy list, they will not know that you are online, but others on your buddy list will know.