Instant Messenger

IM - Instant Messaging.

What is instant messaging?

While researching for my reviews, I came across this "What is instant messaging?" and it said this -

Instant messaging is the ability to exchange messages in real time with other people over the Internet. To send and receive instant messages, you need a connection to the Internet and instant messaging software.

The instant messaging software enables you to set up a list of contacts that also use the program. Once you set up this list, you can see who is online at a particular moment. If the person you want to talk to is online, you can begin a text, voice, or video conversation with them quickly and easily. If they are not online, you can still send a text message that they will receive when they login or leave them a voicemail.

I, personally, only use Windows Live Messenger. But I've been asked to write this article as a review of Windows Live Messenger, Yahoo! Messenger and Skype. So I downloaded them all and signed up. All were easy enough to download I suppose, and it didn't take long at all. But when it came to signing up with Yahoo! Messenger, I had to be an American with an American zip code.. which I of course am not and do not have. Apparently you can go to their web site and sign up a different way, but I was told it's a dodgy way and so I decided not to bother with it. I do have a number of friends who I know use and enjoy Yahoo! Messenger, I don't know how much trouble they had getting an account but I guess the point is - It is do-able!

But for writing this review, in my opinion, downloading them and adding a contact to each of them, doesn't give me enough information about them to write a review. And seeming as well I've gotta write the review today, I don't have the time to use the other IM's over a period of time and get my own opinion on them all. So, I've Googled for other people's opinions and reviews.