Have you been salmoned? I just met a stranger from Denver via the process of salmoning, in which a chatbot initiates an unexpected two-way conversation between two (apparently random) nicks, giving them both aliases ending with "salmon," and leaving both parties confused.
posted on Jun 14, 2008 - View this thread

Meebo.com. Web based chat (alpha) for all the main IM protocols.
posted on Oct 6, 2005 - View this thread

Google Talk Connect with their client, or yours. It runs on the first Jabber network with more than two users!
posted on Aug 23, 2005 - View this thread

Google's big announcement due on Wednesday. Google is due to make an announcement on Wednesday of a new service focusing on presence and communication. The word on the internets is that it will be a chat and IM client. Google already has a chat client in the picture sharing app, Hello, which is available in both standalone install and as part of Picasa. Possible screenshot of the app is here, with additional coverage at BigBlueBall and Neowin. The prevalent consensus seems to be that it will be (or be based on ) Jabber, (PDF) with the core innovation being the use of XMPP.
posted on Aug 23, 2005 - View this thread

"You waive any right to privacy." AOL has just updated the terms of service for Instant Messanger, which include agreeing to the new requirement that AOL owns everything you write, has the right to reproduce it at will, and that you waive all requirements for prior approval to do so.
posted on Mar 13, 2005 - View this thread

Adults are picking up instant messaging in record numbers, with 50% of those over 35 using various systems. This study was funded by AOL, which has a major stake in the instant messaging market through its popular AIM software. But most people who use IM in the workplace are still using free and unsecured systems, despite the availability of secure versions in enterprise software and products like IM Secure.
posted on Sep 2, 2004 - View this thread

IMWatching. Monitor the online times of your buddies.
posted on Jul 17, 2004 - View this thread

"Disposable" Instant Messaging. Click a link and chat to someone with just your browser*. "Include [a link] when you create eBay auctions, Craigslist personals, weblogs, moblogs, personal websites, Friendster, etc. and viewers will be able to contact you instantly." *Requires Flash.
posted on Jul 9, 2004 - View this thread

Play Zork directly in IM. Send an instant message to InfoComBot and choose from a list of available text-based games. You can even save games and return to them later. One thing's for sure: I'm not getting any work done this week.
posted on Mar 21, 2004 - View this thread

DA ENGLISH-2-12-Y3AR-OLD-AOLER TRANSLA2R WIL TAEK WUT U WRIET IN IT AND TURN IT IN2 TEH MAN3R A 12-YEAR-OLD AOLER WUD WRIET IT!1!1 LOL JUST WUT U NED 2 KIK START A MONDAY!!1!!
posted on Aug 10, 2003 - View this thread

Blog Change Bot is an AOL Instant Messenger-based bot that will send you an IM whenever your favorite blogs are updated. (via Blogroots; more inside)
posted on Jul 26, 2003 - View this thread

From the better late than never dept: Now you can send instant messages between AIM/AOL and ICQ. AOL finally added interactivity support for their two IM protocols. Best new feature...
IM with yourself
Once you have the latest ICQ beta software, you'll be able to IM with the AIM and/or AOL on your own computer!
posted on Jun 12, 2003 - View this thread

IMStalking is a site that syndicates the instant messenger away messages of its participants for no particular reason. It's amazing what unemployed cartoon addicts will do to fill their time.
posted on May 30, 2003 - View this thread

Hi! You have the right to remain silent! (wanna cyber?)

The RIAA, bastions of goodness and justice, are sending IMs to nasty file-sharers, telling them that what they're doing is naughty. And that they might just end up in court.
A private company they're hiring plans to send a million messages per week, telling the thieving pirates that the RIAA knows where they live.

Looks like "Hilary Rosen" is one person I'll be putting on my ignore list.
posted on Apr 29, 2003 - View this thread

IM just for Wifi - Trepia has developed a new method for wifi users to connect to each other. Imagine turning on your laptop and seeing the other wifi users near your physical location and being able to chat with them.

There's only a Windows client at this time. I asked where the Mac & linux clients were and the CEO told me they were coming in the future once the Windows version takes off. I'm betting that if enough people ask, they'll accelerate their plans.
posted on Apr 15, 2003 - View this thread

AOL owns Instant Messaging? - MSNBC is reporting that AOL's subsidary ICQ has received a patent for Instant Messaging. I would have thought IRC was enough prior art to invalidate the claim, but the Patent Office knows best. Can AOL put the genie back in the bottle?
posted on Dec 18, 2002 - View this thread

Are you using AOL IM at work? Chatting with your buds or SO while you should probably be working? Well, in a desperate attempt to turn some kind of profit, AOL is willing to sell your boss the ability to be in on the conversation, too.
posted on Nov 5, 2002 - View this thread

ICQ Snobs, Sorry: You now must communicate with the AIM Hoy Paloy. Another defeat for Cyber-Elitism!
posted on Oct 29, 2002 - View this thread

An interesting idea Create your own bot... Sounds like an interesting service. What do you think?
posted on Jul 17, 2002 - View this thread

The bad news: SmarterChild, one of the first instant message bot applications, is dead. The good news: ActiveBuddy, the folks that created SmarterChild, will be releasing a toolset to create new bots.
posted on Jun 30, 2002 - View this thread

download your crappy free aim client here Yup, this morning got bounced from trillian using AOL Instant Messenger again.
This time, got an interesting message from AOL. The AIM client opened itself with this message:

AOL Instant Messenger: You have been disconnected from the AOL Instant Message Service (SM) for accessing the AOL network using unauthorized software. You can download a FREE, fully featured, and authorized client, here http://www.aol.com/aim/download2.html .

So, fellow Mefi readers, how long can AOL block Trillian? Shouldn't they be coming up with more innovative campaigns, or is this a sign that the IM market is about to become a lot more competitive? Tawk amongst yourselves.
posted on Feb 15, 2002 - View this thread

AOL has been actively blocking Trillian users. If you switched over to Trillian and use AIM you've had problems connecting all week. As of this morning, version 0.721 is working but will likely be blocked again. AOL is claiming it as a "security" issue.
posted on Jan 31, 2002 - View this thread

Yahoo IMvironments are the latest fad that the company's come up with. It makes your chatting easier, prettier and more fun - and a lot more bulky and resource hungry. I don't know how many people here actually use Y!, but my guess is this wont take long to disappear.
posted on Dec 31, 2001 - View this thread

Trillian, one of the better chat programs out there, just got better. Version 0.70 is now available and it runs smoothly and looks great.
posted on Dec 7, 2001 - View this thread

Intel Likes the Napster Way (Wired Article). So, we've had Napster, and its counterparts, and we've had all sorts of cheerleading for P2P. P2P has taken off in a big way in the way of IMing, and in a smaller way via projects like SETI@home. Now there's a major corp using it for internal practices in a big way. Are any of you seeing any interesting uses of P2P where you work?
posted on Oct 31, 2001 - View this thread

The Googlematic AIMBOT will only work for those of you with Instant Messager installed, of course. A profoundly useful little widget knocked together by Matt Webb allows you to do very quick and easy Google 'I feel lucky' searches from the comfort of your own Buddy list. Launched yesterday, I think it's a hell of a lot more useful than either SmarterChild or GooglyMinotaur as well as rather better conversation than any of the AIM chatbots I've found to date...
posted on Jul 24, 2001 - View this thread

Active Buddy is final Active This link was posted before, but ActiveBuddy finally has a beta version of their AOL IM interactive agent. Simply add 'smarterchild' to your buddy list and send the message 'hello'. This service gives you news, weather, and movie times through Instant Messager.
posted on Jul 5, 2001 - View this thread

Attention ChatMonkeys. Are you addicted to chat programs? AIM? ICQ? Yahoo and MSN? Even have two instances of mIRC running? Now there's hope. You can have all of these running all at once using *just one program*. And it uses far less resources than all of those other programs put together. matter of fact, i think it uses less resources than icq itself (like that's hard). It's skinnable too! Score!

/me hands out the needles.
posted on Jun 12, 2001 - View this thread

Fatbubble -- include-all blogging in real-time? This new program will allow you to spy on what your instant messenger buddies are browsing on the web, let them know what you think about the sites they're on, rate them, comment on them, send them to a friend etc. (Their press release)
posted on May 8, 2001 - View this thread

InfoBots are coming. I believe we've touched on this before, but now it seems to be moving from concept to reality: Instant Messenger "buddies" that are actually bots. You send them an IM with a question, such as "Hey pal, what's the weather in Thunder Bay, Ontario?" And it IMs you back with the answer, almost instantaneously. No waiting for messy web sites to load, no funky searches to run. ActiveBuddy has been the most, um, active in developing the technology, but they've been working on it forever without anything to show to the public. Now, it's out there, somewhere. CNET is reporting today that an ActiveBuddy beta bot has been live for a few months; you can play with it right now if you know its name. (And if you do know its name, a tip would be appreciated. I've been jonesing for this for a good while.) A more public version is supposed to be out in a few weeks. Here buddy buddy buddy...
posted on Apr 25, 2001 - View this thread

If you're into such things, how to remove the advertisements from ICQ and AIM.
posted on Apr 1, 2001 - View this thread

yo d00dz! hav u seen tihs? "Two-thirds of the 18-24 year olds questioned do not worry about punctuation, grammar or style when writing messages. About 16% sign every e-mail with love and kisses, even when addressing their boss."
l8s, love wrighty XX
posted on Mar 22, 2001 - View this thread

Have you been getting those annoying ICQ ad banners like me? Well, it appears that AOL/TimeWarner has been testing out ads in the ICQ IM interface. The backlash has begun. Here's a site that'll tell you how to get rid of some of the banners. My friend's also gone ahead and taken the liberty to hack the ICQ dll that causes the ads to appear and has full instructions on how to remove the ads permanently from your ICQ. Hurry and grab those dll's before he gets slashdotted!
posted on Feb 26, 2001 - View this thread

AOLiza: Funnier than a wombat on meth.
posted on Aug 19, 2000 - View this thread

Love those open instant messaging standards. Rather than use their own servers or a decentralized approach, Aimster offers peer to peer file sharing services by using the existing AOL and Microsoft Networking infrastructures.
posted on Aug 10, 2000 - View this thread

There's a new version of icq out, although it looks like they're pretty close to their limit on adding buttons to the interface.
posted on Apr 25, 2000 - View this thread

Today's Davenetics (it's a newsletter) noticed a flurry of wireless deals came about today. AOL is planning mobile versions of instant messenger, email, and other AOL services, Microsoft is working on mobile MSN and Hotmail, while Amazon has unveiled their phone portal to shopping. Looks like we will soon be reminiscing about the good old days when the internet used silly wires and cables.
posted on Feb 28, 2000 - View this thread

Bantu is the holy grail of instant messaging apps. The people behind it have been working on this for a while, and they're now offering a web-based, java client that can talk to ICQ, MSN, and Yahoo instant message clients. If it were a client side application, I'd probably use it, I'm not a big fan of leaving a browser window open all the time. Another drawback is that it can't reach AIM users.
posted on Feb 20, 2000 - View this thread

The ICQ Protocol Site is a neat resource about the ICQ protocol. Yeah, that's right. I bet you didn't see that coming. Anyways, the protocol is kinda elegant.
posted on Nov 2, 1999 - View this thread

AOL and Microsoft are resorting to playground antics. I downloaded the new MS messenger when it came out last Thursday, and I've already gotten three patches for it, each time it works with AOL users for just a few hours. I wonder how long they'll continue the dueling banjos thing.
posted on Jul 26, 1999 - View this thread