IM stands for Instant Messaging (or “IMing”
as it’s being called), and you need to know what it is, because it’s
already on your Windows XP computer. If you have kids, you can bet they
know what it is. In fact they might be using it right now!
Instant Messaging is a program that allows for direct contact between
users.
Simply put, it’s like live enhanced e-mail. You see a window with the
names of all of your “Contacts” and you know at a glance if they are
online or not, and you can “chat” to them instantly, or invite them to
chat with other online friends, or share files, play games, etc.
 What’s
that? Your kids are at school you say? Ha. With “Instant messaging”, or
“text messaging”, or “chatting” or whatever name you use, not only
computers, but cellular phones, pagers, Palm Pilots, Pocket PC’s, and even
certain wrist watches can all interact instantly with each other.. The
walls of a school are no match for the internet. A kid home sick can talk
live with his best friend during class easier than a phone call gets made.
Right now, this chat software is pretty much limited to text based
communication, but video and audio already do work, and it’s just a matter
of time before its commonplace.
AOL Instant Messenger, Yahoo Pager, Windows Messenger and others all do
pretty much the same thing as each other. If you have a free chat account
with any of them, you can easily see the “online status” of all your
friends, relatives and associates. There’s even one company now that
allows users of different services to interact with each other.
I’ve worked on computers where a user will have dozens and dozens of
“contacts” just like an email address book, and have them filed according
to friends, family, co-workers, etc. along with an instant status report
on each one of them.
The implications of this software are pretty huge, so you can see why the
big companies want you to use their version. Advertisers have even figured
out a way to have pop-up ads appear in your instant messaging software
Personally, I have no desire to IM over a phone or pager or other little
handheld device, but you can see the appeal for kids can’t you? Talk about
passing notes in class!
I think parents should supervise its use and know who their kids’ IM
friends are.
If they can’t figure it out, then get it uninstalled and keep it off the
computer. What would you have done in Junior High with one of these
things?
I do use an IM service myself, and it’s been a handy thing. I use
Microsoft Messenger, and over the past couple of years, it has become an
integral part of my business and personal life while on a computer, just
like e-mail did nearly 10 years ago.
Just today I was able to fix a clients website via a chat window without
ever having to write an e-mail and wait for a response. Using Microsoft
Messenger and a $40 camera, my mother in California was able to see us at
my son’s 4th birthday party live last weekend as it was happening.
There are lots of great technologies that are making our lives better and
easier.
I think that knowing what these services are is an important part of
understanding your computer. Just like running current Antivirus software
is your responsibility; you should know what’s on your computer that
someone in your house may be using. |
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Scott Hendison is a computer
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internet consulting services to
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is on the Board of Directors for the
Oregon Computer
Consultants Association.
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