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For starters, here's an easy guide to Instant Messaging. Get some information on the lingo, pros and cons and updates on technology.

Odigo is a popular unified messaging service that connects your Yahoo, MSN, ICQ and AOL messengers. It assigns graphical faces to each of your buddies and, if you have just a few contacts to manage, is fun to use thanks to its graphics-heavy control panel. Another interesting feature called the People Finder creates a sort of chat room, showing random groups of other uses online, represented by male and female icons.

Co-browsing is also available on the Imici Messenger that connects MSN, Yahoo, ICQ, and AOL Instant Messengers. On the downside, it doesn't pick up MSN user aliases, so all you see are your buddies' Passport addresses, not their chosen names. Still, among its interesting features are the encrypted login and automatic 'buddy list' import.

Jabber doesn't accept AOL, while Trillian is an open-source project and perfect for chat freaks because -- apart from all popular messengers -- it also offers Internet Relay Chat (IRC). Fat Bubble is another tool that allows you and your buddies to share sites and opinions, while protecting your privacy too.

Finally, while the IM wars have been much talked about, a coalition of messaging companies called IM Unified has been created to enable member Internet users to communicate freely with each other.

If that doesn't make Bubbles happy, nothing else will!

ADDITIONAL LINKS:

IM Software | How Instant Messaging Work | The Ultimate Guide to Instant Messaging | Funny 'Away' Messages

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