Instant messaging

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Draft

Instant messaging is a form of text-based real-time communication on the Internet

“Instant messaging allows you to maintain a list of people that you wish to interact with. You can send messages to any of the people in your list, often called a buddy list or contact list, as long as that person is online. Sending a message opens up a small window where you and your friend can type in messages that both of you can see” - (How Instant Messaging Works retrieved 13:40, 27 May 2006 (MEST))

“Instant messaging requires the use of a client program that hooks up an instant messaging service and differs from e-mail in that conversations are then able to happen in realtime. Most services offer a presence information feature, indicating whether people on one's list of contacts are currently online and available to chat. This may be called a contact list.” Wikipedia:Instant messaging.

Features and benefits

Here are the most common features:

Instant messages
Contact List management
Web Links sharing
Files transmission
Audio conferencing
Chat rooms.

Benefits:

In contrast to e-mails or phone, the parties know whether the peer is available (users can set to online or offline status if they wish).
People are not forced to reply immediately to incoming messages.
There is a trace. Instant messages typically get logged in a local message history
It is easy to exchange links (compared to a phone call).

Standards and systems

Standards

Most popular services are based on proprietary technology, except Gtalk that is based on XMPP, the extensible messaging and presence protocol.
However, some clients like the the open source Wikipedia:Gaim allow to communicate with different "universes".

Types

Internet Relay Chat (IRC) like systems (the original, 1996)
Typical modern systems like AIM, MSN, Yahoo that offer many features (including voice and video chat).
Small IM blocks integrated into portals like LMSs and C3MS (web based, no special client needed).

Popular systems

AIM (America online)
MSN Messenger (Microsoft)
Yahoo Messenger
ICQ ("I seek you")
Gtalk (Google)

See the Wikipedia's instant messaging article for more systems.